IT was a momentous night for the students of a Healthcare Support Course and their families, as they graduated from the ten month long course which took place in Rahoonane Community Center.
The Healthcare Support Course, which prepares people to be healthcare workers, is run by the Kerry Education and Training Board.
“It’s quite a difficult course that needs a lot of commitment and study,” said tutor of the course Noreen Garde.
“They came from all walks of life, some people had lost their jobs, some were people who want to go forward and do nursing, which they entitled to do with the course,” Noreen said.
“The class were excellent, they were very committed and dedicated to the course,” she added.
ACCEPTANCE is one of the most powerful tools that you can have in your psychological welfare arsenal.
I discovered this many years ago and I regularly use phrases like ‘it is as it is’ or the infamous teenage phrase of ‘whatever’ much to the chagrin of my family and friends.
The Irish love to complain about the weather, but at the end of the day, complaining about the weather isn’t going to change the weather so one would be much better off accepting the weather as it is and investing in a decent raincoat and going out and enjoying oneself.
The song ‘Singing in the rain’ by Gene Kelly is a metaphor for accepting the situation as it is and enjoying the moment.
One must ask ‘why does acceptance work?’
To answer this, one must investigate the whole area of stress. Many people talk about stress or treat stress on a daily basis.
In fact there are billions of euros being spent on or lost to the economy around the world in the whole area of dealing with stress.
This is a problem in itself! Most people, if you asked them to define stress, would be unable to do so.
Continued below…
Again ‘What is stress?’ The best definition I have ever heard of stress from a ‘working’ point of view is Stress is ‘being Here and trying to be There’.
If that is true then surely the opposite is true. The secret to a stress-free life is being Here and not trying to be There.
It all comes back to living in the ‘NOW’. Acceptance of a situation is the one tool that will always render us in the ‘Now’.
It is easy to accept a situation when it is pleasant but may not be so easy if the situation is difficult. However it is in acceptance of a difficult situation that we come to realise the real power and benefit of acceptance.
Without doubt acceptance is always the better choice over the only other choice which is ‘non acceptance’. Non-acceptance of a situation will inevitably lead to some form of stress as we are ‘Being here and trying to be there’ as explained above.
At the end of the day there are three ways we should best react to any given situation;
1. Accept the situation as it is.
2. Change the situation (in other words take action and so something about it)
3. Accept that we are unable to change the situation (Note we always retain the power to change how we Think about the situation i.e How we React!)
Non Acceptance is never really a good option as it can result in much pain, stress and confusion for both an individual and a country.
Many great leaders have used the Power of Acceptance to great effect. Nelson Mandela brought about the Freedom of South Africa from the terrible regime of apartheid and he achieved it by accepting his situation in a prison cell.
Ghandi achieved the freedom of India by accepting that ‘non- violent’ means was the best way forward for India.
Jesus Christ used the symbol of ‘Acceptance of The Cross’ to spread the message of eternal love and to save the souls of mankind.
He died and gave His life without hesitation to teach this message. Millions of Christians around the world celebrate this message every Easter.
Next week I will write more on the subject of Acceptance.
IN the last article I wrote of the benefit of gratitude and why it works (read it here).
I want to write more on this subject as this is the keystone to true happiness – that is how important gratitude is and it will not only improve our own lives individually but it is absolutely essential for global peace and the survival of mankind.
Every single cell in our body (and there are millions of them!) is a piece of energy and thus has a vibrational energy frequency.
There is nothing unusual about this as for e.g. Sound and Light are both energy and also have an energy frequency.
Our thoughts are energy and they communicate energetically with the cells of our body and thus cause our cells to vibrate accordingly.
If our thoughts are positive in nature then obviously our cells will vibrate with positive energy and the corollary is also true – if our thoughts are negative in nature then our cells will vibrate with negative energy.
We must be very careful here as to how we assess a situation. What is positive and what is negative? There are many examples of how a perceived difficult situation can turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to us.
I am currently training for the Ring of Kerry cycle and may regard cycling over hills as difficult but If I change my attitude and regard the hills as being a most important and beneficial part of my training I know that come the Ring of Kerry Cycle I will be grateful for the hill training as I approach Moll’s Gap hill outside Killarney.
In this situation I have turned a negative into a positive (internal alchemy!) There is a very good short video on Youtube about this called ‘Welcome The Rain’ (click here).
It is also important to appreciate that each of our cells has a memory in its own right. This can be called cellular intelligence or is often referred to as emotional intelligence, where our body will always decide what is best for us when left to its own devices.
A clear example of this is the scenario whereby if you cut your hand your body will begin the healing process instantaneously.
There is a scurry of instant messages from the brain to urgently send to the hand whatever is required – red blood cells, white blood cells, albumin, serum etc and the exact location as to where the ‘help’ is to be sent.
When we appreciate the power of our own body with deep gratitude we come to realise that there is a ‘miracle’ going on in our own bodies.
Even the most sophisticated computer in the whole world could not heal us as well as our own body’s can –wow!
After a while, a scar is formed and within about two weeks, in most cases, the wound is practically invisible. For our cells to do this they must act out of cellular memory (intelligence).
Once we come to realise this we then come to realise how important it is to send good positive messages to our body particularly in difficult times i.e. Gratitude for the Moment.
So in short we should train our bodies to live in the moment and fill our bodies with carefully selected positive thoughts which will inevitably result in good energy vibration. This is the secret behind the film ‘The Secret’!
Next week I will be talking about the importance of ‘Acceptance’.
• Roger Harty is a life coach and can be contacted on 087-6128336, on twitter at @Innerjoyz1 or by email rogharty@gmail.com
How many of you have stuck to your training plans to get those summer bods or did you get disillusioned with the volume of negativity?
Unfortunately Ireland doesn’t lend itself too kindly to positivity, especially when you are trying to do something to better yourself and your health.
But that’s why you read my piece every week, to get some simple straight talking do’s and don’ts in health and fitness.
So it’s the end of June and you are beating yourself up because you didn’t stick to your training plan. So what!
Why are you living in the past when you can do something about it today. You or I can’t change what we did or didn’t do five minutes ago so why be so down on yourself.
Always remember this – there’s people out there wanting to see you fail, just to say “I told you so”. Be confident and positive in what you want to do as positivity begets positivity. You, and only you, have the power to make small daily changes in your life.
July is the month of loving yourself again. That sexy summer dress is hanging up in the wardrobe just waiting to be donned on a night out and it should make you feel a million dollars.
What to do? So little time?
I have a 7 day 7lbs weight loss course that guarantees success and have you feeling a million dollars for your planned night out.
Also, if you have any fitness queries please email me at niall@btsfitness.ie and I will address them in my next article.
Until next week, stay healthy.
• Niall Hobbert is running an Algarve Fitness Clinic from August 21– 25. For more info please email niall@btsfitness.ie
ONE of the greatest gifts we can bring to our lives is, without doubt, the ‘Power of Gratitude’.
You might well ask why is this so? The answer is because it is a ‘truth’ and the truth works. We can play with this and say it works because it is a truth or it is a truth because it works.
The next obvious question is ‘why does it work’.
In the life of a normal human being there are two parts to our existence. There is the thinking mind (the ego) and there is the body (self).
In our everyday unaware lives we treat these as two separate entities. An example of this is when we say things like “I(ego) love myself (body) or I hate myself when I do that. We must thus ask who is the ‘I’ and who is the ‘self’ in both of the fore mentioned statements.
The answer is the I is the ego thinking mind which always has an opinion and doesn’t actually exist as thoughts don’t exist and the self is our physical body (a conglomeration of cells) which does exist. There is a strong school of thought which says that these cells don’t exist either and that we are each just a ball of vibrating energy but that is for another discussion.
I align myself with the concept that we are a conglomeration of cells which in reality is a ball of energy vibrating at a particular frequency.
This is what is known as the ‘inner self’ or the inner child which is present in each one of us. I find it a very useful tool to give this inner child a name, in my case I call it ‘Martin’ as that is my middle name.
It is important to appreciate the concept of the inner child in order to appreciate why gratitude works.
In my routine everyday life if I am regularly unhappy and complaining about my situation and even though I might be completely unaware of it, I am sending subliminal messages (Ego) to ‘Martin’ that all is not well.
My thought process (Ego) – and remember we have over 60,000 thoughts in a day – is sending messages to Martin that I am unhappy.
When I came into the world I was absolutely and completely born happy and ‘Martin ‘was happy but now I am sending strong messages of unhappiness and eventually and inevitably I will wear ‘Martin’ down and he will feel totally dejected.
This is often played out in the field of the subconscious and we are often completely unaware that we are doing it to ourselves. If you scolded a child on a regular basis it is obvious that that child would be unhappy too.
The good news here is if we change our thought process and increase the positive thoughts and reduce our negative thoughts we can send different energetic subliminal messages to Martin and we can effectively make Martin happy (the practice of meditation and mindfulness is vital here as it teaches us to observe our thoughts and not get caught up in them).
To do this we must show gratitude as regularly as we can during each day for as many situations as we can. Even when life appears difficult we can show gratitude for the moment as often difficult situations are great teachers in life.
Rather than judging the situation we could ask the question ‘what is life teaching me now?’. Being ‘grateful for the moment’ on a regular basis will cause the cells of our body (Martin) to vibrate at a different and happier frequency.
Like many things in life this change in inner happiness does not happen overnight but with constant vigilance, awareness and non-judgemental practice of meditation it is guaranteed to work. Why? Because it is a truth! If ‘Martin’ is happy, I’m happy!
More on gratitude next week.
• Roger Harty is a life coach and can be contacted on 087-6128336, on twitter at @Innerjoyz1 or by email rogharty@gmail.com
THERE’S just two days to go until thousands of people around the county take part in a special event in aid of Recovery Haven.
The “Celebration of Light” event takes place this Friday at 8pm at 12 locations throughout Kerry.
This has become a very important annual community event which gives an opportunity for all those whose lives have been touched by cancer to come together and share experiences and celebrate the lives of families and friends.
Dan Collins, Director and the fundraising committee from Recovery Haven anticipates a great turnout on Friday night as the event has become very popular.
“We are delighted with the response so far and we would encourage everybody to turn out on the evening,” said Dan. “It is a special atmosphere with music and people will enjoy the shared experience and the symbolic lighting of the candle. For some it will recall the loss of a loved one and for others it will offer support on their cancer journey.”
The following venues have been selected this year: Town Park Abbeyfeale, Ladies Beach Ballybunion, Banna Beach, Camp Beach, The Marina Dingle, Lockes Strand Fenit, Inch Beach, The Fishery Killorglin, Ross Castle Killarney, Meenoghane Causeway, The Pier Tarbert and Portmagee Village. Candles will be lit simultaneously, at the signal, on each venue.
Candles will be available at various outlets, at each of these venues prior to Friday.
A few words will be said on “Hope Through Light” and a symbolic stone throwing into water will take place. Music will be provided by local musicians at each location.
Manager Siobhán Mc Sweeney emphasises the importance of fundraising to support the work that is done by Recovery Haven.
“Candles will be on sale for €3 each or two for €5 from various local outlets and at Recovery Haven. The success of this will depend on local support and local volunteers and we would ask people to contact Recovery Haven on 066-7192122 or www.recoveryhavenkerry.com for further information”.
People are asked to be in place by 7.45pm. Families welcome.
TRULY living in ‘The Now’ is a most wondrous and rewarding way to live life.
It might sound strange to speak the obvious to people, but the only time you can truly live is Now. Have you ever managed to live five minutes ago or in five minutes time?
It is impossible, for the only time we can experience now is Now. That being said 90% of people spend most of their lives not living in the Now – worrying about things of the past or anxious about what might happen in the future.
The breath is an obvious porthole (passageway) into the Now but so are our senses i.e. what we see, hear, taste, touch and smell. When we pay real attention to these five senses it helps to develop what is known as the 6th sense; Our intuition or gut/survival instinct.
This attitude to living can really enhance the quality of our lives and removes so much unnecessary suffering. Many people will say it is difficult to do but I don’t agree. With a little daily practice, the desired result can be achieved in a relatively short space of time. Moreover the practice of coming to our senses can be a very pleasant experience.
Sight: Look at a beautiful mountain view. Realise that you can only see it exactly as it is just now as, perhaps when you look at it in five minutes time, the sun may have disappeared behind the clouds – it is an ever changing vista.
Really appreciate that you have the gift of sight and what it means to you and also to close your eyes and consider the less fortunate who are without this precious gift. Admire them for the way in which they face daily struggles with such bravery.
Hearing: Listen to the sound of the birds chirping in the morning. Pay attention to different array of sounds emanating from each species.
Listen to the joyous sound of children laughing and be grateful to have such a wondrous gift. Take a walk on one of our glorious local beaches and listen to sound of the waves as they finally reach the shore. Think of the difficulties faced by people who do not have the gift of hearing and who will go through life never hearing those sounds.
Taste: Think of your favourite food and what joy it brings as you truly savour the flavour in your mouth. Eat slowly and really appreciate the moment chewing the food and allow your taste buds to do the work that they were created for. Appreciate the hands that made the food and that the food came from an ethically sound production line.
Touch: Hug a friend or a family member. Take time and feel the warmth and genuineness of the embrace and realise that you can only truly appreciate that feeling right now.
Think of the children and people who might have to go through the whole of their lives without feeling loved. We truly are emotional human beings and we need the connection which touch can bring to our lives for our survival.
Smell: Go into the woods and appreciate the various aromas that are readily available. Take time to smell a wild flower or a rose and realise how empty and dull your life would be without this sense. I recently spent some time in Ballyseedy woods and the scent of the wild garlic was overwhelming.
The best things in life are free but do we take the time to appreciate them.
Next week I will write about the power of gratitude.
• Roger Harty is a life coach and can be contacted on 087-6128336, on twitter at @Innerjoyz1 or by email rogharty@gmail.com
Long overdue if I may say. There’s nothing like getting up early to open up at 6.30am and the sun is there to greet you. It’s a brilliant feeling and you start the day with a smile on your face.
Then your dog lets you know he’s awake and he wants some of the Kerry sun while going for his walk!
Physical activity plays a huge part in minimising and preventing both physical and mental health issues. How many of us can honestly answer this question: Have I ever been affected by physical or mental health issues directly or indirectly?
Are we still afraid to talk about how we feel? How we look? What we do?. My question is: Do you know where to go or know what to do if we are not feeling 100% for a period of time?
Last year I ran a weight-loss program, where participants had to put pen to paper telling me about themselves and why I should pick them.
There was one letter that stood out from the rest as it wasn’t a weight loss letter. It was all about how this guy wanted to break the cycle of depression and substitute it with healthy eating and exercise.
When I first met him, there was a man who was totally unassuming, introverted and had little weight to lose. What do I do, or what can I do I asked myself?
I set him a challenge and in doing that, I set myself the challenge of helping this guy help himself for his family. What better motivation to succeed in anything you do when it’s for a greater cause than yourself.
So the journey began for us both. Every day that I was training him I always asked this simple question: out of 10, how are we feeling today?
No matter what the answer was (1-10) my reply was: is that a good (1-10) or is it a bad (1-10) and walked away before he could answer it, as it was for him to decide if he is will to make it a Good (1-10) or not.
Always, he chose it to be a good (1-10). In the process he still lost 40lbs in 8 weeks, Ran 10km under 60minutes and most of all he and his beautiful family were very grateful for what just happened.
For me it was all worthwhile to see the relationship develop and go from strength to strength within his own family and when both his wife and himself came to me and just said; “Thank you for everything you have done” that’s what makes me want to be the very best at what I do.
I know there’s plenty of males and females out there questioning themselves; “Would I be able to make those changes?” The simple answer is you will never know until you “Accept” and “TRY”.
Please don’t get me wrong as I am not preaching that exercise and healthy eating will “Fix or Cure” you. What I am saying is that both the GP’s and Exercise Specialists like myself can work together for the better of clients and patients. There is no one way that is the best.
A TRALEE man who has felt ostracised from society in the past because of suffering from Crohn’s Disease, has started his own Facebook page and blog to act as a support network for fellow sufferers and to break down the stigma surrounding the condition.
Finbarr Griffin of St Brendan’s Park, who has the disease which effects the gastrointestinal tract which, without treatment, can lead to bowel cancer or death, said the condition has left him depressed at times and prevents him from forming new relationships.
Finbarr spoke to TraleeToday.ie at his home in St Brendan’s Park about how he was diagnosed and the way the disease has affected his life.
“It all started in 2002 when I lost the use of my legs one night after a table quiz. I was brought into Kerry general and the doctors didn’t have a notion what was wrong with me. So from there I was sent to Cork. Within three days I was diagnosed with Crohn’s. I didn’t have a clue what it was,” he said.
In September 2002 Finbarr went to train as a nurse and was fully qualified in 2004, despite going for his first Crohn’s operation in 2003.
“I thought that everything would be OK and they got rid of the diseased part of the bowel. When I went back to Cork for a check-up, I was told my Crohn’s was out of control. The doctors said if I didn’t act I’d have to get a colostomy bag.
“I tried all the medication there was, but it got worse and worse. I eventually went down to six stone, until I was told I had no choice I had to have surgery to get a bag fitted. All told, I was a year in hospital,” he said.
Through Finbarr’s experience of living with Crohn’s and the stigma that surrounds having a colostomy bag, he decided to set up a support group on Facebook.
Finbarr set up the page ten days ago and since then his posts have reached 3,500 people and have been liked 350 times.
“I can’t get over the response, my phone and emails have been hopping since. I tried to set up a group before, but it was difficult. There was too many people from outside of town or people had work commitments. Also when we had meetings, people were sometimes too embarrassed to speak about what they were suffering,” Finbarr said.
“One day I had a brainwave and realised there’s nothing in Tralee about Crohn’s on social media, so I setup a Facebook page. There’s a lot of people private messaging me because of the stigma around it, which is sad really, but now I feel they have an avenue where people can talk about it,” he said.
“There is a huge benefit with talking to someone who has the same thing as you, for people not to suffer alone. Only in the last six months have I realised no one has a clue about Crohn’s. I’ve been asked to leave people’s company because I have a bag. I feel like I’m ostracised from society,” he said.
Finbarr has a seven year old daughter, Isabelle, and is single. Due to having a colostomy bag it has made it very difficult for him to pursue a relationship.
“I get depressed because I’m on my own. I’m only 44, when you meet someone how do you tell them you have a bag?”
“You can put on a smile and go downtown and have a pint, but as soon as someone comes up to you and is interested in you, you run a mile because you can’t face telling them you have a bag,” Finbarr said
“Yesterday I spent all day in bed because I was just shot mentally and physically, I’ll be honest I get depressed over having a bag and I get depressed because nobody cares,” Finbarr said.
Finbarr is able to manage because of the medication he takes which comes at a huge cost, even still he only sleeps on average two hours a night because of the pain he suffers when his bowl flares up.
“My medical card is up for review next year and I know there’s going to be difficulties with it. If I lost my medical card in the morning I would be finished because of the amount of stuff I need. One of the medications I get is €3,500 every six weeks, I simply would not be able to cope,” Finbarr said.
A TRALEE man has won the ‘Spirit of the Games Award’ at the Go for Life Games in Dublin at the weekend.
Mossy Kelleher, from Oakpark, a member of the Kerry team, was the winner of the award where 300 older people from 17 counties celebrated sport at Dublin City University on Saturday June 7.
“I was delighted to receive the award at the 2014 Games. It was a very exciting event. Competitive at times, but it was a great fun,” said Mossy. “It gave us the opportunity to meet new people and have loads of fun’ said Mossy at the event. He was among six people who received the award for good attitude and high spirits,” he added.
The Go for Life Games are based on some of the games played by Go for Life groups across Ireland. Participants turned their hand to ‘Lobbers’ (a target game adapted from petanque and boules), ‘Flisk’ (adapted from boccia and horseshoe pitching), and ‘Scidils’ (an adaptation of ten pin bowling with one skittle).
The teams represented older people’s groups from 17 Local Sport Partnership areas: Meath, Kildare, Wicklow, Wexford, Waterford, Cork, Kilkenny, Tipperary South, Kerry, Limerick, Clare, Offaly, Laois, Dublin City Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown, South Dublin and Fingal.
The aim of the Go For Life Games is to involve older people in recreational sport. The games are run in partnership with Local Sports Partnerships and the HSE. See a video from the 2013 Games here… (and a photo of the Kerry team below it)
MY father used to say that “the thing about common sense is that they gave it the wrong name!”
Then he’d go on to say “because it’s not really that common at all.” He’d walk away and give a big laugh.
Connecting with our senses is absolutely necessary for our survival. What we see, hear, taste, touch and smell gave our ancestors the essential gifts that enabled them to survive, especially in times of danger.
Let’s picture ourselves as ancient man circa 20,000 years ago living close to a very dense forest.
In order to get the ‘rich pickings’ of food, berries and wild animals, he had to forage deeper into the forest which was accompanied by great danger from attack by wild animals or tribal enemies.
He was out of his ‘comfort zone’. Let’s now examine the role that each of the senses played in aiding and abetting his survival.
If we ask the question “which of our senses is the most important for the survival of ancient man?” The answer lies in the fact that each of the senses in its own right plays a vital part in the survival of ancient man.
Let’s examine the role that each sense plays out individually. In order to create a picture in the mind, imagine ancient man deep inside a forest.
Sight: If he sees a tiny leaf falling in the distance it could be a matter of life and death. Is it a dangerous wild cat or is it a harmless bird?
Hearing: If he hears a twig breaking in the distance – Is it a dangerous wild boar or a squirrel?
Taste: By barely tasting a plant in his mouth can it indicate if it is poisonous or not before he begins to feed on it?
Touch: By touching the faeces of a wild animal on the ground he can tell if the animal is nearby or afar by the heat of the faeces.
Smell: By staying downwind he can smell the presence of a wild animal e.g. a bear or that of easy meat, for instance a deer.
Our senses are absolutely vital to our survival and are even more important now than ever before as they help us to connect with our emotional gut instinct.
It is very important to be aware of our senses and it is even more important to practice paying attention to them individually and collectively.
We pay attention by giving the time to be present with our senses. This could involve doing very pleasant things like lighting a scented candle or going for a walk in the local wood’s but instead of talking and being on the mobile phone to take the time to experience the joy that our senses can bring to our lives.
Gratitude for the moment is always a very powerful tool to have in your toolkit but more of that at a later stage.
Next week I will write about how our senses are a porthole into ‘The Now’.
• Roger Harty is a life coach and can be contacted on 087-6128336, on twitter at @Innerjoyz1 or by email rogharty@gmail.com
THANK you all so much for the great response to last week’s article about untrained running coaches.
This week I am going to stick to the Topic of ‘Running’ for runners.
It is essential to have core stability to maximize performance and prevent Injury. The core of your body is where you derive your power from, it provides the foundation for all arm and leg movements.
Your core must be strong, flexible and unimpeded in its movements to achieve maximum performance.
Imbalances weaken your core. Training long hours doesn’t guarantee that you will have core stability. In fact spending too much time working within one plane of motion often creates core imbalance. Add these imbalances to stresses caused by poor posture during running, and the repetitive motions you have the equation for the development of a weak core.
Addressing core stability issues can only be done with the guidance of a professional conditioning trainer, physio or a strength and conditioning expert.
Often these professionals are overlooked as there’s a fee associated to their services, but as some of you are aware “invest a little” and save a lot in the medium and long term.
The first steps in dealing with issues of core stability must be analysed and identified. Active release techniques are specifically designed to do just this.
Remember that motion is not an isolated event that occurs in one direction. Body movement is a complex event involving agonists and antagonist structure that work together top create motion and to stabilize the body in all three directional planes.
Consultations by appointment only. Call 066 7117100. For those of you following Niall’s Get In Shape For Summer Programme, here’s Week 3’s details with a video guide
Week 3: (Twice Daily without fail and excuses)
75 squats, 25 push ups, 6 x 30 second planks, 3 x 30 seconds of mountain climbers, 2 x 25 tummy crunches
A NEW Community First Responder scheme has been planned for Ardfert and surrounding areas.
The scheme, which will provide medical assistance to life-threatening emergencies such as cardiac arrests, strokes, choking and heart attacks – until the arrival of an ambulance, will be run by local volunteers.
The group will also have to raise the money through fundraising to fund equipment and training. Once “live”, the responders will be contacted by ambulance control to alert the responder “on call” of life threatening or potentially life threatening incidents within 5KM of Ardfert Village.
Training will be provided free of charge to the volunteers and the roster system will be designed around the volunteers availability.
A meeting to discuss the scheme, volunteers and fundraising will be held in Ardfert on Wednesday, June 11 at 7.30pm in The Abbey Tavern. More information is available on the “Ardfert Community First Responders” Facebook page.
I wrote last week about the thinking mind and how we have on average 60,000 thoughts a day – 90% of which are useless and repetitive.
As all these thoughts are energy that is a lot of energy needlessly being wasted? If you focus your mind on your breath (breathing process form your nostrils down to your stomach and back again) the breath in turn acts as an anchor to the thinking mind just like an anchor acts as a source to steadfasten an otherwise restless ship.
This process is known as mindfulness and is an ancient practice which was introduced to the Western world by a man called Jon- Kabat-Zinn.
In other words we become aware (conscious) of our breath which helps to steady our random unaware (unconscious) thinking mind.
I’m not so sure this practice is absolutely new as when I was a child my mother used to say “Roger be mindful” in other words to be aware of and to watch what I was doing. Jon- Kabat –Zinn introduced it as a formal practice.
In our normal everyday living, we breathe too shallowly and too quickly. This in turn sends subtle but definite messages to the body that all is not well and that we have something to be anxious about.
Of course as we are so busy with our everyday lives and problems we are usually totally unaware (unconscious) that this is going on.
This is what I mean by unconscious everyday living which can result in great stress to the body and the body organs which are unfortunately unable to tell if the reason for the anxiety (stress) is real or not.
In the vast majority of cases, the cause of the stress is not real which results in us living very stressed lives when it can be totally avoided with the practice of a little awareness. As Ripley says “Believe it or not”.
Of course the obvious reason for the breath is the transmission of air and thus oxygen to the body but it has another great function which many people are not aware of.
The breath is a porthole into the present or what we call the ‘Now’. A porthole is a passageway or means of connection between one area and another.
The breath is a porthole for connecting the mind with the energies of our body and is a brilliant and ever accessible means to do that.
Why is it brilliant? Because it is always and ever available. What was the first thing you did when you were born? “Breathe”.
What is the last thing you will do when you die? “Breathe” We take our last breath!! It is a constant accessible companion which is truly underestimated, undervalued and underused.
It connects us with the ‘Now’ simply because we can only breathe in the ‘Now’
Have you ever managed to breath for yesterday or even as a matter of fact for one minute ago ? Have you ever managed to breathe for tomorrow or even for one minute in advance of now?
No we can only breathe in the present and that is why the breath is such an effective porthole into the present moment. It connects us with consciousness.
Next week I am going to write about why we should ‘Come to our senses’.
• Roger Harty is a life coach and can be contacted on 087-6128336, on twitter at @Innerjoyz1 or by email rogharty@gmail.com
FOLLOWING on from last week’s workout tips for getting into better shape, I hope you are all doing well and can feel a difference already.
This week I will be talking about running. I love seeing people of all ages getting out there doing exercise.
Whether it’s in BTS Fitness or another gym or just out running, it’s great to see and I admire them.
However, I do have a serious problem with unqualified personnel causing more physiological harm than good to those who put their trust in them.
I see scores of people out running on a daily basis when I’m going in to open up the gym at 6am, or after closing at 9.30pm.
The one thing that horrifies me is that there doesn’t seem to be anyone motivating or helping the not-so-strong runner along.
Last year alone I treated over 50 runners all injured through incorrect training methods.
Running is meant to be enjoyable, in terms of you and the road, where you can forget about the day’s troubles and become one with the road for that period of time you have to yourself.
You don’t want to be spending time with me or any physiotherapist spending hundreds of your hard earned cash on recovering when it should have not happened in the first place.
In simple terms – ask for the qualifications of the trainer/individual who is setting out these training programs, as I will probably end up seeing most of you for rehabilitation.
Running is not just made up of a pair of runners and hit the road. It’s a lot more complex than that.
It involves;
• Strength + Conditioning training every time before you go for a run
• Core development
• Footwear (correct running shoes for your feet)
• Warm-ups
• Pre-Stretches
• Run
• Cool down
• Post stretch
• Nutrition and Supplementation (aids recovery and minimises risk of injury)
If you are missing any one of the above, your body is more likely to break down on you. Invest in getting a professional’s advice to help.
For advice or book an appointment call 066 7117100.
For those of you doing Niall’s three-week summer shape-up plan this is week 2’s breakdown:
Week 2: (Daily without fail and excuses)
75 squats, 20 push up, 5 x30 second planks, 2 x 30 seconds of mountain climbers, 25 tummy crunches
See video
• Niall Hobbert is the Owner and Personal Trainer at BTS Fitness Gym at Manor West
I WAS talking to a family member a few years ago and during the conversation he informed me that it was impossible to have two thoughts in your mind at exactly the same time.
There might be a minute fraction of a second between them, but the two thoughts cannot occur at exactly the same time.
That statement struck a chord with me because around that time I was trying to come to terms with my own thought process – in other words my mind was bothering me.
Just like an artist cleaning his easel before doing a painting, I want to set my own ground rules before I start writing about the mind.
First of all what do I mean by the mind? Interestingly enough, despite thousands of operations taking place all over the world every year, no surgeon has ever in the history of mankind claimed to have discovered a mind!
When I refer to the mind, my ground rule is that I am referring to the ‘thinking mind’ only as there are many other facets to the mind.
Here are a few facts about the mind.
• The average human being has about 60,000 thoughts in a day
• About 90% of those thoughts are repetitive and are of no real benefit to us as they are only repeating themselves over and over again.
• About 80% of the thoughts that we do have are negative – this is a normal part of our conditioned human programming – in other words we are conditioned towards fear (worry).
So “Roger what is all of the overall information above about and how can it benefit me in my daily life?”
Well first of all, to do anything or to fix anything we need to be motivated to change. The motivation to change surely comes from the awareness and the realization of how self-harmful the thinking mind can be and also how devious it can be, because this harm is caused to ourselves by ourselves in the realm of the subconscious unaware thinking mind.
Now for the good bit – the solution is totally within our own hands and it is available to every single human being whether they realize it or not, but it can only be brought to fruition by each individual in his/her own right.
The solution lies in the practice of mindfulness and meditation. As I explained earlier, you cannot have two thoughts at exactly the same time.
Neither can your thinking mind be in two places at the same time and here lies the ultimate solution to worry, anxiety, depression, stress etc.
If you focus your mind on your breath or for that matter your breathing process and if you are truly focused on what you are doing then for that moment, you are free from the control of the thinking mind.
This is a process that like any other process must be practiced and is best done in a non-judgemental manner – the reason for this is that if we are judging the process we are thinking and the real benefit comes from the long term practice of non-thinking.
There is a very useful eBook available free on the internet called ‘Mindfulness in plain English’ which will help put to bed many of the myths that surround meditation.
I cannot overemphasise the importance of the breath in meditation, so next week I will continue the discussion with this in mind.
• Roger Harty is a life coach and can be contacted on 087-6128336, on twitter at @Innerjoyz1 or by email rogharty@gmail.com Roger will be speaking at Rathkeale House this Sunday at 3pm at the Holistic and Health Fair in aid of Milford Hospice, Limerick. For more information see https://www.facebook.com/events/271673616338960/permalink/274588312714157/
ASK yourself are you getting the most out of your workouts? Are you summer ready?
Here’s some top tips to help you get that summer body and we also have a free three month gym membership to give away. Read the details below and watch the video to see how to do the exercises…
• Get up 15 minutes earlier
• Start your day with 50 squats and 3 x 30 second planks
• Have a slow release carbohydrate breakfast : 3 Pineapple slices with natural yoghurt
• Cut out carbohydrates after 3pm (lots of veg and protein)
• Drink up to 3.5 ltrs of chilled water daily
• Cut out processed sugars (these are a no-no)
Ready for your 3 week Weight Loss Challenge?
Week 1: (Daily without fail and excuses)
50 squats, 10 push ups, 3 30 second planks, 30 seconds of mountain climbers
Week 2: (Daily without fail and excuses)
75 squats, 20 push up, 5 x30 second planks, 2 x 30 seconds of mountain climbers, 25 tummy crunches
Week 3: (Twice Daily without fail and excuses)
75 squats, 25 push ups, 6 x 30 second planks, 3 x 30 seconds of mountain climbers, 2 x 25 tummy crunches
Send us in your before and after pictures to niall@btsfitness.ie to be in with a chance of winning three months Summer membership to BTS Fitness Club (before photo must be sent in by May 28, after photo by June 19).
Watch the video below for exercise tips…
“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
• Niall Hobbert is the Owner and Personal Trainer at BTS Fitness Gym at Manor West
EXPECTANT mothers-to-be flocked to a special ‘Bump to Baby’ event on Wednesday in CH Chemists, The Mall.
The event is aimed at mothers, fathers and parents-to-be. Some of the experts on hand included a chiropractor, a midwife, a health nurse, an alternative practitioner and a nutritionist.
“It’s a very good turn out, we always have great interest for events like this,” said Helena Sanker of CH Chemists.
THE Mayor of Tralee, Cllr Pat Hussey, has presented the Bon Secours Hospital Tralee with a Civic Award to recognise the recent success in being chosen as Ireland’s Private Hospital of the Year 2014.
The Civic Award presentation, which was proposed by Cllr Terry O’Brien at the April meeting of Tralee Town Council, coincided with the start of Phase 2 of a multi-million euro development at the Bon Secours Hospital Tralee.
The Manager of the Bon Secours Hospital Tralee, Donna Roche, and her three colleagues – Dr Síle O’Connor (Senior Pharmacist); Mary Reidy (Infection Control Clinical Nurse Specialist) and Mary Nagle (Clinical Nurse Specialist Respiratory) – whose projects were an integral part of the submission to the Irish Healthcare Awards attended a special reception at the Town Hall, ahead of the monthly meeting of Tralee Town Council.
Cllr Pat Hussey congratulated and praised the work of the Bon Secours Hospital staff who, he said, all contributed towards the achievement at the Irish Healthcare Centre Awards.
“I know this was achieved through hard work and dedication to the hospital and I know that Donna Roche and her team deserve great credit for maintaining top class standards,” said the Mayor of Tralee.
He and his fellow councillors each acknowledged the role the Bon Secours Hospital has played in supporting the local economy through the employment of 500 staff.
Donna Roche, who accepted Civic Award on behalf of all the staff at the Bon Secours Hospital Tralee, said: “We are honoured to receive such a recognition from Tralee Town Council and we are very proud of our recent achievement in becoming Ireland’s Private Hospitalof the Year. The award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of all the staff who provide excellent care to patients and we are looking forward to maintaining that position into the future.”
Donna Roche took the opportunity to congratulate Bon Secours Hospital Tralee Staff Nurse Orla Quirke who is this year’s winner of INMO Nurse Preceptor of the Year 2014.
This award is designed to recognise and acknowledge the priceless work performed by qualified nurses as they seek to guide, grow and direct undergraduate student nurses through their degree programme.
Orla, who also attended the Civic Reception at Tralee Town Council, has won this year’s award on the basis of her excellence, in preceptorship, as described by her student nurse colleague Ms Deirdre Lynch.
YOUNG Liam Heffernan, who had been battling Batten’s Disease, has died. He was just five years old.
His father Tony tweeted the news earlier yesterday morning.
“#LittleLiamo has grown angelwings and joined sister Saoirse in heaven #RIP son #SuperHero No More #BattenDisease”
Liam, from Castlemaine, suffered from the rare Battens Disease and last year lost his sight and began suffering a surge in seizures.
His sister Saoirse died of the same condition, at the same age in 2010.
He had lost nearly all mobility and was not able to consume solid foods in the past year.
Tony and Mary Heffernan are vocal campaigners for Batten’s disease awareness and run the Saoirse Foundation, supporting other Irish families in similar positions.
Bees for Battens is online campaign for raising awareness and supporting those affected by Battens disease.
• Donations can be made to: The Saoirse Foundation, Address: AIB Tralee Co Kerry Account No: 85130187; Sort Code: 93-62-19; IE13AIBK93621985130187; Swift Code: AIBKIE2D Postal Donations can be made Bee For Battens, The Saoirse Foundation, Castldrum, Castlemaine, Co Kerry, Ireland You can also donate be sending old mobile phones free of charge to: The Bee For Battens Appeal, Freepost, PO BOX 7958, Dublin 11. More details available on http://www.beeforbattens.org
Hi everyone, My name is Niall Hobbert owner of BTS Fitness club and I will be your resident Personal Trainer for Traleetoday.ie.
With over 15 years experience in the industry and many years training a long list of ‘A’ list celebrities and sports professionals, one thing I know is how to get results no matter how big or small you think they are.
Having trained and still train many Irish and international models, national/international musicians and many top TV & radio personalities and the demands placed upon a trainer for weight loss, toning, performance, muscle building etc there isn’t anything that can’t be achieve with me at BTS Fitness.
Every week I will be writing about how to get in Tip Top Shape with some little industry tips to help along the way. I hope you will email me in any questions you might have and I can address them for everyone to benefit from.