VICTORIOUS LIVING – There is No Time Like the Present
Victoria Walton, M.S. is TRAffIK’s resident Life Coach and will be helping us tackle the issues that hold us back from becoming the “TRAffIK Stoppers” we all can be. Look for her column Victorious Living the third Tuesday of every month. Victoria Walton may be contacted at victoria@intraffik.com. To read previous installments of Victorious Living click here.
Nothing lights up my world more than seeing people get out of life what they want. That’s why I became a life coach.
I take on clients who have realized that what they want in life requires them to come outside of their comfort zone. They have accepted risk. What worthy thing does not require it? Whether it is asking someone for a date, pursuing one’s dream as an actor, buying a home or starting a business, there is never a guarantee you will acquire that for which you set your sights. One thing is for sure, though — if you don’t stretch yourself, life will be mediocre. I don’t know about you, but mediocrity is wholly unappealing to me.
In this economy, though, I can see why one might resist going after certain dreams, particularly when pursuing them could produce strains of various types, e.g., financial. Yet, hard times do not have to be an obstacle. These challenging days simply dare us to create a better strategy. There is never going to be a better time. Moreover, because unrequited passions don’t really die, hesitation could result in prolonged dissatisfaction, leading to detachment from your desires and the ensuing inertia. So what are you waiting for? Let’s take a look at a few key elements to include as you create a sound plan that will result in the lighting up of your world.
1. Weigh the pros and cons of both making changes and staying where you are. There is always a cost/pay off relationship for our actions (or inaction). Writing down a realistic list of pros and cons will help you get present to what is at stake and keep you motivated toward your goals.
2. Set your priorities. When you are generating major change in your life, other areas in your life can shift as well. As you plot your strategy, consider how to keep your priorities, especially the people you love, in their proper place.
3. Consider the pitfalls. Setbacks are going to happen. So forget the fantasy that you won’t have any. Consider the potential impediments, how to minimize their occurrence as well as be prepared to creatively handle surprises.
4. Mind your energy. In the book, “The Power of Full Engagement”, executive coaches, Loehr and Schwartz, reason that it is energy, not time, of which there is a dearth. What energizes you? What do you need to feel renewed? Think about what you need to maintain energy levels and incorporate these activities as you map your way to your goals.
5. Stay accountable. Pick supportive friends and/or family members who will call you to task, be a sounding board for your ideas, and encourage you when all you want to do is throw in the towel. Outside accountability is an aspect of social structure that is critical for success. After all, it is much harder to tell yourself no, when you have a cheering section!
Disclaimer: Life Coaching is for “healthy” people; it isnot intended for use as a substitute for medical advice, professionalpsychotherapy, or any other therapeutic intervention.
FITNESS 101: ASK AUDRA
Audra Yocom is a certified personal trainer based out of Los Angeles, who will be answering your fitness questions on a weekly basis (every Monday) and will also bring you monthly fitness tips via her regular column (resuming in April) to help us to disspell those myths we’ve all been subjected to regarding fitness at one point or another in our battle with the bulge. You can also hear Audra with her fitness tips during the early morning (5am – 7am) A.M. Blast block of upbeat tunes geared towards your morning workout and via her new “Fitness and Health” Show the second and fourth Wednesday of every month at 7:30 pm on intraffikradio.com (http://tinyurl.com/intraffikradio) or under Intraffikradio under the eclectic section under iTunes Radio. To learn more about Audra or to inquire about training sessions visit her site http://audrayocom.com. This Wednesday Audra will have Youth Arts Outreach Founder Pamela Koller on her show talking about maintaining a fitness routine while healing a broken hip and undergoing chemotherapy.
QUESTION: I travel a lot. Is there a mini full body fitness routine that I can do anywhere (i.e. hotel rooms) without having to lug a bunch of fitness equipment with me?
ANSWER: The best thing to do in this case is to bring fitness training bands with you. They are lightweight and don’t take up a lot of space. You can pretty much do all exercises you want to do using these bands. Most of the bands come with an instruction manual that will show you how to do each exercise as well. You can use the bands to do squats, lunges, overhead presses, chest presses, lat pull downs , lateral raises, tricep kick backs, etc. You can pretty much work out every muscle group.
QUESTION: When is the best time to exercise?
ANSWER: The best time to exercise is at a time that works best for you and really depends on your schedule. Everyone is different. I personally try to get my workouts out of the way first thing in the morning because I’m too tired by the end of my day to hit the gym so I’m less likely to follow through. I also have a hard time sleeping if I do my workouts at night because my body is too energized after a good workout. Whenever you choose to do your workout I would just say the most important thing is to be consistent. Make it a part of your routine.
QUESTION: I know most people want to lose weight, and that’s first thing people think of with exercise. However, what if we want to put on weight (or appear bigger). What are some good ways to “bulk up”?
ANSWER: In order to force a muscle to hypertrophy, the muscle must perform more than what it is currently used to performing. Generally speaking you want to lower your reps and increase the weight. You’ll want to stay in a range of about 1-5 reps and 4-8 sets. You also want to be taking in more calories. Make sure they are still healthy calories though. Your performance is dependent upon what you are fueling your body with and the better you perform, the more effective the work out. Also, keep in mind that genetics play a role in how much you might be able to bulk up.
Audra will be answering your fitness questions every Monday. If you have questions you’d like answered you may email her at Audra@intraffik.com or send to info@intraffik.com. To see if your questions have been addressed check out past “Ask Audra” Column Entries here
THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT…
Old habits die hard.
Lately, that seems to be a recurring theme in my life
This is not to say that I’m so stubborn that I won’t change or resist change. Actually, I’m fairly adaptable. I may not always like the change in the beginning, but I get that in order to grow things must evolve.
One of the main areas that seems to be impacted most by this is the way I work, but more than the way I work it’s the way I build things. Whenever possible, which is most of the time, I like to build things that last. I give them a strong foundation and refuse to put them in front of the general public, should the project necessitate a public audience, until I know that it will be around for longer than just the “hype period.” In fact, I shy away from building hype for many of my personal projects. I’ve said a few times that I have no interest in “blowing up L.A.” meaning putting things out that have the shelf life of a reality star (although these days, even those seem to have pushed their 15 seconds to at least a minute longer than most of us would like).
These days due to a number of recent events I’ve tried to re-train myself to think more short-term.
Easier said than done.
One event of the many that caught me off guard recently kept me in a bit more of a contemplative mood than usual.
Fairly recently, I accidentally ended up at a funeral ceremony/viewing. From a young age I’ve had a dislike for funerals, I’m certain no one finds them to be a necessarily pleasant experience. I think they can be beautiful tributes, and vehicles for those who were close to the deceased to obtain closure. The main reason that I think I shy away from funerals is that because I am a very visually-oriented person I like to remember those who have passed as they were and not in a casket with overdone Hollywood film set make-up. This is selfish I know but if I happen to attend a funeral, I will usually not look in the casket. The second reason is something that although I can easily ignore sometimes does get to me or bothers me when it really shouldn’t. That is the hypocrisy that exists at funerals and similar types of events. However, I know that a funeral is primarily meant to honor the life of the person and I do think that everyone should get to partake.
Anyhow, I can’t say that when I entered the location that what I thought I would be entering would be a ceremony such as that. You would think there might’ve been signs that could’ve given me some warning of what was occurring in the venue, however there really weren’t any. Even those in attendance weren’t donning all black attire; in fact many of them were wearing shades of lavender and purple (which I later found out was a favorite color of the person who passed away)
Somewhere in the midst of the crowd coming in, an enlarged glamour shot style photograph of a young woman was brought in and set on an easel towards the front of the room.
When I finally realized what was going on I started to leave, then also realizing that I was positioned towards the front of the room I found, all whilst panicking a little inside of my head, that my exit might be somewhat disruptive. So instead I took a seat and hoped that at some point I would have a chance to leave as I didn’t want to impose.
As the service began I started to try to figure out what I would say should anyone ask me how I knew this young woman, who appeared to be about my age. I knew nothing about her, what she was like, where she lived, if she’d really gotten to live her life before it was over with? Oh, how I hoped she had. Judging by the number of people in attendance, who had come out to this in the middle of the day on a weekday, she had a lot of friends and family that cared about her.
Long story short I ended up sitting through the whole service as I never found the appropriate time to leave and also didn’t want to disrespect this person who although I’d never met her I felt that I owed her at least an hour of my time or however long it would take. I didn’t learn much more about her story, other than she must’ve originally been from that city where I was and that she resided elsewhere. Also, it seemed her body had been flown in by some pilots as they were thanked during the service, so she may have possibly been in the service/military.
As I mentioned, I was in a contemplative, although somewhat serene, mood upon finally leaving. The main thought running through my head and one I’d thought about more in recent months than ever before, was if my life were to end anytime today/in the near future would I be happy with the life I’d led and what I’d accomplished?
The answer would be (more…)
EMERGING ARTS LEADERS – APRIL CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS EVENT
If you haven’t yet purchased your ticket to Emerging Arts Leaders/Los Angeles’ (EAL/LA) first April Creative Conversations event, time is ticking! The event is THIS Saturday at Plaza de la Raza (the home to one of 30 Play Me, I’m Yours – Los Angeles 2012 pianos).
Join Kristen Runnels (Executive Co-Chair of EAL/LA) and other EAL/LA’ers to listen to Terence McFarland (LA Stage Alliance) speak about adjusting to creative challenges when creating a non-profit, or to Becca Ansert (Green Public Art Consultancy) speak about changing gears from civic art to founding her own consulting firm.
Full schedule & more info:
Lessons from Social Entrepreneurs:
How to Add Value to Your Organization and Career
Saturday, April 21, 10:15am-3:30pm
Plaza de la Raza
Cultural Center for the Arts & Education
3540 North Mission Road
Los Angeles, CA 90031And did I mention there will be mingling at Barbara’s at The Brewery afterwards?
PEARLS of WISDOM mixed with networking. Purchase your tickets (only $20 – which includes lunch!) right here:
FITNESS 101: ASK AUDRA
Audra Yocom is a certified personal trainer based out of Los Angeles, who will be answering your fitness questions on a weekly basis (every Monday) and will also bring you monthly fitness tips via her regular column (resuming in April) to help us to disspell those myths we’ve all been subjected to regarding fitness at one point or another in our battle with the bulge. You can also hear Audra with her fitness tips during the early morning (5am – 7am) A.M. Blast block of upbeat tunes geared towards your morning workout and via her new “Fitness and Health” Show the second and fourth Wednesday of every month at 7:30 pm on intraffikradio.com (http://tinyurl.com/intraffikradio) or under Intraffikradio under the eclectic section under iTunes Radio. To learn more about Audra or to inquire about training sessions visit her site http://audrayocom.com.
QUESTION: As a drummer, having full range of motion with my wrists is a big deal. Is there anything I can do to prevent a wrist injury/carpel tunnel or to strengthen my wrists?
ANSWER: Strengthening the muscles of the wrist is a great way to prevent injury. The wrist curl and reverse wrist curl are great wrist strengthening exercises. To do a wrist curl you would rest your forearm on a flat surface with your palm facing up. Place a small dumbbell in the palm of your hand and curl your wrist upward. It’s similar to doing a bicep curl but bending at your wrist instead of at your elbow. For the reverse wrist curl you would turn your hand over so your palm is facing down and then curl your wrist up toward the ceiling.
In addition to wrist strengthening exercises you’ll want to stretch the muscles by rotating the wrist in a circular motion in both directions. Then extend your arm out in front of you and point your fingers to the ceiling. Lace your other hand’s fingers through the extended hand and pull gently toward you. Then point your fingers to the floor and gently pull your palm toward you again. It’s also a good idea to ice your wrists to avoid swelling or inflammation. Be sure if you are playing drums for an extended period of time to take frequent breaks to stretch and relax your muscles.
QUESTION: I’m a night owl and really enjoy going for a run at night. Unfortunately, sometimes the run leaves me a little wired when I should be getting to sleep. I’ve tried switching to running in the morning, but found I don’t enjoy it as much. Is there any type of wind-down exercise/routine that I could do to not have to give up my night runs and also not sacrifice getting a good night’s sleep?
ANSWER: Unfortunately I run into the same problem myself. I, too, am a night owl and would prefer doing my workouts at night, but I’ve always found that I can’t fall asleep when I do this. I’ve tried everything including taking melatonin and Tylenol PM. The only things that I’ve found to help a little is to do my work out early enough in the evening to give my body a chance to wind down. I also do relaxing yoga stretches, meditate, and eat a healthy snack to fill my stomach just before going to bed.
Audra will be answering your fitness questions every Monday. If you have questions you’d like answered you may email her at Audra@intraffik.com or send to info@intraffik.com. To see if your questions have been addressed check out past “Ask Audra” Column Entries here
KEEPING THE WORLD SMALL
“Let’s keep the world small.”
That’s how a friend would sign all of his emails that he’d send me and probably others as well. I thought of this as his band, now based out of the Northwest, just came through L.A. playing one of the local venues.
By this point in my life I now have friends scattered all over the world. Sometimes I wish the world was a little smaller to cut down the travel time to get to everyone. Sometimes I wish the world was a little smaller in just the immediate 20-40 mile radius that surrounds me so I could get from one end of L.A. to the other in the actual “five minutes” that I say I’ll be at my destination (how does “be there in five or ten minutes” ever seem like an accurate estimate from getting from say the Westside to the Eastside?).
However, other times the world seems a little too small when our daily lives in the neighborhoods we reside in and places we go seem to resemble Mister Roger’s Neighborhood (who rocking his infamous cardigans would probably totally fit right in to any of our present day neighborhoods).
Sometimes I enjoy this almost too close for comfort way of life, but then the “Cheers” theme song comes to an end and I have to retreat to re-claim my privacy and alone time.
When I was growing up it seemed as though my dad either knew everyone in the town we lived in or was on his way to soon knowing everyone as everywhere we went he would wind up in some long conversation with people. Whether he’d known them for a long time or just the two minutes we were in line together in the check-out line at the grocery store it never failed that a quick five minute (really five minutes?) trip or errand would turn into a half hour to an hour long verbal detour as the conversation with the newfound friend(s) would continue to our annoyance. It really was annoying, especially as a teenager when all I wanted to do was just go back home or hang out with friends no matter how great my parents could be.
So now fast-forward to the present (more…)