Cairns’ Personal Trainer at Osprey Reef: Christmas on the Coral Sea to integrate my mind-body&soul

Hey folks,

I want to announce I won’t be available from 18/12/08 till 01/01/09 because I will be going diviiiiiiiiiing with Mike Ball!!!! I’m looking forward forward to this trip like a child looks forward to Santa and the elves (21 more sleeps

See this video and envy! Only kidding~ I wish each and every one of you the best in following your heart this Christmas. We must not forget to take time-out for ourselves, and to take opportunities to keep on learning, sharing and integrating our mind-body&soul.

I’ll gladly give each person who wants to /get fit over the silly season a Physical Activity Program so that you can focus on cultivating your mind and soul.

Please share your mind-body&soul agenda for the Christmas/New Year period…

Upper Back Stretch: A common need among Cairns’ residents

More than likely when a Cairns’ resident visits the Harmonics studio, their massage needs include stress release of the upper back area.

The upper back muscles attach to the shoulder blade (scapula) and the posterior of the thoracic rib cage. It is not unusual for these large muscle sheets to become irritated (myofascial pain).  Pain in the upper back may be due to past trauma, sudden injury, chronic poor posture or overuse.

Upper back pain is very responsive to massage and stretching. Lymphatic massage can help to prevent and relieve muscle soreness. Trigger point palpation of the proximal and distal attachments can relieve stiffness an d improve circulation to the area of congestion. Yoga and power stretching (core stretching) will also be of benefit to increase flexibility of the area. The video below provides a brief how-to-stretch demo for the upper back:

A complement to these manual treatments are a rich supply of bioflavonoids in the diet, found in good quality green tea and pesticide free dark green leafy vegetables. It is also essential that you remain hydrated, so monitor your water intake to around 8-12 glasses (i.e., 250ml per glass) each day.

Recommended Reading

Neck and Shoulder Pain

Upper Shoulder Tension Relief with Joint Mobility~ The Renegade Health Show

The Ministry of Burger: The opinion of a Cairns’ personal trainer

After I saw today’s Jamie’s Ministry of Food I couldn’t help myself and had to write a commentary. I like that guy very much; he is trying so hard to implement very basics of cooking – eating healthy food into heads of ordinary people.

Here in Cairns, as in most other parts of the globe, Jamie is really a big icon in this business of cooking and nutrition. Why is it, in Australia at least, that advertisers and fast-food chains try to use the televised shows, and good name, of Jamie, for their own benefits. Parasites!

It really pissed me off the other night that the commercials during Jamie’s Ministry of Food, were about crap (unhealthy food); Pizza Hut, Dominos and Hungry Jacks were the few I noticed during my rant around the house at the hypocrisy of it all. Unfortunately, The Ministry of Food, is seen merely as a tool to source advertiser income, and the income of the audience who are now more likely to spend their money on “junk for their trunk”; research shows that people who feel good during a TV report much more positive feelings toward commercials shown during that programme (references on request).

These fast-food commercials should not be shown during a program that is actively doing something about increasing obesity rates, aiding those in poverty who do have not been skilled in healthy shopping and cooking habits, and just generally creating a better standard of living for those most in need of such.

I don’t think people are stupid – they really know that burgers and pizza are not healthy food; but due to the commercials being embedded in the Ministry of Food they now have a plausible excuse for over-indulging: “OK, if burgers and pizzas are advertised together with healthy food, they can’t be so bad.”

And that’s it. That’s what the companies want. They want to claim their products as healthy food. And, of course, all of this is about money. It is not about proactively taking responsibility for the part each of us (including advertisers and fast-food enterprises), have to ensure the health and well being of our communities.

Why do governments, academics and other social critiques continue to urge us on the one hand to educate ourselves toward healthy living, and on the other not use Policy to ensure that we have access to accurate and non-biased resources (i.e., due to the goals of advertisers and fast-food chains).

No wonder we continue to pay such heavy taxes, in the form of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and children who cannot focus on studies because their bodies are starved of nutrition.

Are you wanting real lifestyle change?  Harmonics: Massage, Training & Motivation will provide you with shopping tours, a “fridge blitz” and home-cooking nutrition with our Lifestyle Consultancy programs.

Share with us your lifestyle change needs via Comment or email (harmonics@zenbe.com)

And come join us over at Jaimie Oliver’s website~ HarmonicsCairns is on the blogroll. You too can join the campaign to “Pass it On”

Cairns’ Personal Trainer Offers Free Stretching Demos at the Arrows

Cairns‘ personal trainer, Jarek Sevcik, core founder of Harmonics (massage, training and motivation), emphasizes community focus.We are organizing ourselves to provide free stretching demos at the foot of the Red and Blue Arrow rainforest tracks here in Cairns.

For many people, a power walk up and down either the Red or Blue Arrow is a must~ however, is stretching before and after also part of the routine. Harmonics wants to raise awareness about the importance of stretching as part of peoples walking/jogging routines.

Power stretching (core stretching) will be demonstrated from 3:30pm-4pm on most weekdays (weather permitting) at the base of the Red and Blue Arrow (between the Botanic Gardens and The Tanks). The grassy area is well shaded~ though you may need to bring your mozzie repellent!

We will be sharing more about the powerful benefits of stretching to health and wellbeing in future posts. Today, we just wanted to give Cairn’s residents the “heads up” as to what we have planned over the next week.

Till then, check out this 8-minute stretching routine (love his workout clothes!)

By the way, if you have ever had a massage then you may wan to participate in a PhD study on just that~ massage! The online survey can be accessed via the link below:

http://groups.google.com/group/sci.psychology.announce/browse_thread/thread/e55431f3a94c4b74

Share your favorite stretches here with us.

For Cairns stretchers, this personal trainer is looking forward to meeting you at the Arrows.

Parents! Personal Training is Not an “Extra”: Use Your Lifestyle to Create Change

Yesterday while catching up with a friend (and client!) the topic of financial pressures for families came up. My friend pointed out that for many parents, personal training and massage is seen as an “extra” cost.

We at Harmonics emphasize that your current lifestyle can be used to create change~ health & well being are not extras! they are essential elements for a quality life. Your weekly shopping trip is an opportunity to have a 30m walk, and to educate the kids about how to choose foods and manage a budget.

This activity can be complemented with daily water intake, adequate sleep/naps, and nutritious food choices. The dollars not spent on low nutritional foods can be redirected to celebrating achieving your families health goals.

For example, treat yourself to a 10 or 25m massage instead of one that is an hour. The release of stress and time out for yourself is necessary for those who spend most of their time giving.

Kristinia at Loving Heart Mommy shares with us how keep  on with our efforts to “put a lil’ heart” into all that we do. Her yummy and nutritious review of iLunchbox has a wealth of handy info to aid parents coordinate their current habits with healthy lifestyle changes.

How do you reward yourself at present? What ways do you take time out for yourself at the moment? Can either of these activites redirect dollars toward massage or personal training to support your lifestyle goals?

Hello world!

Harmonics: Massage, Train & Motivate has arrived! One-to-one consultations are now available in Cairns and online for those committed to real lifestyle change.

Jarek Sevcik has a Masters in Physical Education, has coordinated military boot camps and, when not traveling, works with his parents at their holistic spa and retreat in the Czech Republic. Char (me has a degree in Psychology, is a Lifestyle Mentor and enjoys being a tutor for university students.

Harmonics can plan a relaxation and/or personal training program that works with activities that you already do each day, and with food choices that you currently make.

Whether it is a one-time self reward or a commitment to long-term change, Jarek & Char at Harmonics (as well as their network of lifestyle mentors within the Cairns community) can support your steps to success.

Massage for weight management, musculoskeletal support and definition, healing and recuperation.

Personal training to maintain physical abilities, physique and mental health.

Boot Camp for military standard physical and mental living. 3 months of intensive learning and training;  nutrition, movement and cognitive change. Youth are welcome to keep up!

The basics as well as finer details for healthy Nutrition and Lifestyle choices are cross-referenced with your existing shopping habits. One of the programs at Harmonics combines a monthly shop, meal prep and “move it” fridge overhaul. Guest chefs are invited to show you, one-to-one, how to shop, store and prepare wholesome meals and tasty treats.

How much fun are Mentor endeavors! Come join us at Harmonics for change that is in harmony with what your body needs, and what you expect from life.

What do you see as your goals for physical and mental health over the next 3 months? Share with a comment below…

And, come and enjoy! It doesn’t matter if you need a training lesson or a massage.