I got in a discussion with a client this morning which has sparked some synaptic firings that will end in me asking for YOUR FEEDBACK (so please e-mail me or post a comment below or on Facebook with your thoughts).

My conversation was about the prevalence of “shit” in the workplace.  Now, let me clarify that this was not pertaining to modern day personnel issues (that’s a topic for a whole other blog post), but to the incidence of candy, cake, cupcakes and other sweet goodies that are brought into our work environments. 

More and more I hear about the stuff that rolls through the door at peoples’ offices and as I sit here isolated in my little cave, my jaw hits the ground.   I hear the rationale behind bringing it in – leftovers from Little Johnny’s birthday party, Suzy in HR’s birthday, “Marcy was having a bad day yesterday so I thought some cupcakes would cheer her up”,  etc… then I wonder, if people can so readily consume that stuff and think that “a little treat” is okay once in a while… okay… everyday… okay, okay…. every time I walk by the tray on the table in the entranceway, what will the consumption be like if the “treats” are then deemed healthy.

Let’s take a quick break from that train of thought and look at what’s ahead of us.  Firstly there’s the devilishly sweet-friendly Halloween extravaganza in the month of October and half of November as we so conscientiously remove the candy from our house and take it to work – so sneaky!  That’s followed up by Thanksgiving feasts – “mmm, Aunt Jenny’s pecan pie is to DIE for” – you know that isn’t making it to work.  Then comes Christmas and the New Year – “I can’t wait to set those Resolutions, lose these few extra pounds and stop eating sugar”.  Oh, and if your birthday is stuck in the middle of all this, I hate to say it but you’re screwed!

All right, back to my synaptic firings.  Please don’t get me wrong, I think the act of workplace sharing and wanting to make co-workers happy is a wondrous thing and may create amazing cohesion in the workplace (it may also be related to those personnel issues mentioned above but we’ll let Suzy in HR take care of that after she snaps out of her sugar coma). 

Evidently, I don’t know about “the modern working environment” as I pretty much work alone, and I can only imagine how tough it would be to change this environment and acceptance within the workplace.   But no one ever said that change is easy!  We’ve managed to implement ‘Scent Free’ policies, nut and allergen policies and we’ve pushed smokers further and further away from the building.  So I wonder, why can't the same courtesies be applied with regards to food choices (sugar was just named above cigarettes and alcohol as the 'most addictive and dangerous substance' of our time). 

So I now ask for your help… how can the “crappy" treats be removed from workplace culture, the happiness and social dynamic brought about by sharing something “yummy” with others be maintained, and the consumption of low fat, gluten-free or organic snacks (all perceived as healthy) not go off-the-wall (and the calorie consumption exceed that previously consumed in unhealthy treats)?

(I am serious in asking for your thoughts as to what works/ might work, so please comment below, or on Facebook or drop me an e-mail with your thoughts.)

I’m not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day, in fact I’m not a huge fan of any Hallmark-exploited festivity – but I might as well use whatever opportunity I can to make a point.

I’m the last guy that anyone should turn to for relationship advice, but I have been in the fitness game for a while, and I realize that a romantic relationship(s) has a lot of close similarities to the relationship we have (or should have) with our own health and fitness.

1.       There has to be some commitment – one-night-stands tend to be unrewarding.  Making a healthy choice once in a while just doesn’t cut it.
2.       We seldom experience “love at first sight” - it usually takes a while to nurture the relationship;
3.       You have to respect your health.  It too can go “all crazy on your ass” if you don’t take care of it;
4.       Either relationship can elicit a heart-poundingly good time (both of which can improve health… wink)
5.       There are gonna be some ups and downs (no pun intended) – the key is working through them and coming out better off on other side;
6.       Things do get easier as you go along;
7.       Sometimes you need to spice things up a little;
8.       Worse case scenario for both… death.

… and a few differences between romantic relationships and our relationship with our health:

1.       Breaking up with your health is not an option (well I guess maybe it is but we typically call that something else);
2.       Your health won’t run a key down the side of your car or throw your shit on the front lawn when things go to hell;
3.       Diamonds, flowers and candy don’t help your health - the anatomical heart is not for sale (at least not legally);
4.       Your heart won’t be with anyone else – it’s yours for good so take care of it!

Let’s take a quick run down our checklist::

• We’ve set goals and established an action plan;
• We have started implementing our action plan;
• We’re enjoying what we’re doing;
• We’ve come to grips with the fact that results will take time and we are looking to develop a lifestyle which supports the goals that we’ve set.
• We’re striving for improvement… becoming “better”;
• We value rest and relaxation and see that this is an important part of our action plan/ lifestyle.

There’s a lot of “we have’s” in that list.   WE are trying OUR best to achieve OUR goals.

But what about those times when we just don’t know what to do, where to go or how to proceed – our GPS navigational system has died and we’re at the interchange?

As a male using road trip analogies it’s tough to write this… but there comes a time when you just need to have the strength, courage and wisdom to ask for help. 

TIP #7 – GET HELP

Perhaps it’s reaffirmation that what you’re doing is “right”.  Maybe it’s a gentle nudge to get you (re)started/ motivated towards your goal.  It could be a bit of supervision to ensure that you’re going about it safely or maybe just a few tips and some encouragement along the way.   Maybe it’s a professional, maybe a “support group” of sorts, maybe just a friend… the important thing is that it truly  is HELP! 

Far too often we think that we are getting help or sound advice, but we become even more lost because the information provided either contradicts our plan of action or is just so plentiful that we don’t know which way to go (I find the latter is often the case with online “stuff” – forums, support groups, searching for info).  Is it honest-to-goodness sound advice, or is it just someone’s opinion or personal bias?

So even as we seek out help we have to be cautious!

A few suggestions when seeking out help:

1.  Do a bit of homework on where this guidance is coming from (I’m not suggesting that you should run a criminal background or contact the Better Business Bureau);
2.  Look for a source with some notable credentials and references;
3.  Look for a proven track record (has this source helped others like you);
4.  Ensure that the source you choose to work with can truly help you achieve your goals – are they committed to helping you?;
5.  If you’re seeking out a professional, can you work with them?  You are establishing somewhat of a trusting relationship with them by entrusting them with your health, well-being and in some cases money.
6.  Minimize your "input streams".  Pick 2 or 3 sources of information and focus on these.  Too many people/ websites all giving slightly different (or dramatically different) snippets of wisdom becomes confusing.

Please feel free to comment below, on my Facebook Page or on Twitter (#ResolutionRoadTrip).

Moving down our list of tips, today's post is essentially a sequel to something I wrote last year  (I'm always happy when a year later I look at something and still consider it valid - it makes it feel a little more concrete).

Last January I was inundated with the emotions of others.  Lots of people were expressing a lot of emotions and I wrote a blog for them entitled “Enjoy”.  Hopefully today’s tip will be pre-emptive and help us move forward on our “Resolution Road Trip”.

TIP #3 – ENJOY IT

Resulting from the realizations I had last year, I now include this thought in pretty much all of my discussions with clients and people looking for advice on how to move forward:  "Do things in a way that will keep you happy.  Start to pick away and remove the superfluous BS from your life that you do not enjoy.  If you’re not enjoying something, figure out why the hell you’re doing it."

So as you sit down and begin to create your Plan of Action (PoA for all you acronymically-inclined people out there – and yes,  acronymically is MY word) ask yourself the question, “Will I enjoy doing this?”   And as you answer, be 100% honest with yourself.  Is it just that this sounds hard and I don’t really feel like exerting myself?  Do I really know that I won’t enjoy this particular choice?  A tough workout might seem daunting, and may even leave us a bit sore, but the feelings of accomplishment afterward may be overshadowing.

If you don’t like running, it doesn’t make sense to include running 3 times a week in your PoA.  If you don’t like fish, it becomes counterproductive to state that you are going to start eating white fish twice a week as a good source of protein.  You will begin to loathe that particular activity, it will become burdensome and before you know it, you’ll be finding any and every excuse in the book not to do it.  Suddenly we are not following our PoA and we become frustrated and prone to giving up. 

If the answer to the question “Will I enjoy doing this?” is legitimately “yes” – perfect!  If the answer is “I don’t know”, place an asterix beside it, revisit this later, and if you truly find yourself not enjoying it, think of how to remedy this.  If you immediately spout “NO WAY”, think of other things that you will enjoy doing that lead toward the same result.  Yes, some of these alternatives may take a little longer and appear as more of a scenic route, but hopefully we’ve come to terms with the fact that this journey is more of a marathon than a sprint.  And hey, you may find that as you proceed along your resolution road trip and you revisit your PoA, some of the things that made you initially curl up your nose may become a little more appealing - so keep an open mind.

As we look to develop habits which will help us endure this road trip until our final destination, we must surround ourselves with things that make us smile.  It sets us up for being able to sustain these behaviours once we have reached our destination.  Arriving at our final destination smiling makes staying there a lot more promising.

Please feel free to comment below, on my Facebook Page or on Twitter (#ResolutionRoadTrip).

"It’s being widely broadcast that we as a nation have a serious problem which directly affects the health of our country.  We are in the midst of an obesity epidemic and even more significantly an epidemic of childhood obesity (almost a third of Canadians aged five to 17 are overweight or obese).  For the first time in history, our children will die at a younger age then their parents due to the poor health habits that have been passed on to them.

Fellow Canadians,

Over the past decades we have done you and your families the disservice of misinforming you about the foods that you eat, the foods that you should eat and the foods that you shouldn’t eat.  We have been swayed by corporate contributors to support products and campaigns which have significantly contributed to the plight which we now face.  And even now, as we stare down the barrel, we wince, drawing up schemes and plans to appease the concerned masses, but truly know that these will never rectify the damage that we have caused.

We are not sure where to begin, or who to target in our approach.  Do we now try to re-educate the adults whom we have misled for so long by allowing food manufacturers and bodies with vested interests to tote bogus nutritional claims of being healthy options?  Is it too late to teach the “old dogs new tricks”?  Do we focus on educating the future consumers – our children, so that when they’re old enough to make household decisions, they do so wisely, armed with knowledge and clarity?  We have spent millions of dollars, tax payers’ dollars, in attempts at “health promotion”, all the while flirting with the people who have leveraged us to lie to you and being swayed by corporate contribution to continue, and even propagate these mistruths. 

Recently it has been proposed that some of the strategies that were used to make an impact on tobacco use be used to alert consumers of poor food choices and the negative impact that these may have on your health.  But we’ve read the studies, and know that scare tactics do not work for food related behaviours yet we stand before you proposing that this is the way.  We tote our tobacco model  as a success in curtailing usage, yet we pick-and-choose only a few of the strategies utilized in this model  - taxation, scary pictures and some restrictions on sales.  Our tobacco model removed products from drug stores due to the conflicting health impact of these products.  Fearful that young consumers were being targeted and using these products without a true appreciation for the negative health impact we imposed age-restrictions on purchase – yet we are weary to take such aggressive measures to curtail the purchase and use of products which now have a more negative health impact than that of tobacco use.  Most provinces have passed legislature to prevent youths from utilizing tanning services due to the health impact that was being observed as a result of excess usage.

But we have a different relationship with food – it’s a necessity.   We need food to survive, and because of this we know that the approach that we have to take has to be even more aggressive… and honest.

But to be honest – we don’t know how to proceed.  Without wasting more time and money, we don’t even know where to begin.  There are obvious financial implications to any decision that we make and we are scared to do what is absolutely necessary to rectify the problem that we have caused.  

Projections indicate that our Health Care system is in grave danger (and yes, unfortunately that pun is intentional) due to the health costs that will result from the poor food choices that we have allowed you to make through our own negligence and greed.  The System which helps to identify us as a country, and separates us from our southerly neighbours is at risk of failure in the very near future, yet we are weary of offending, scared of losing the generous support that our corporate contributors provide, and fearful of the inevitable failure should our attempts not succeed.

We come before you humbled, conscious of ills that we have done, embarrassed by our actions, ashamed of breaching the trust you’ve put in us as leaders and ask you the consumer to now help us.   We need your help!"