HOW TO SURVIVE & GROW STRONG THROUGH ADVERSITY

January 25, 2022 by Heidi Sivers-Boyce

How to Survive & Grow Strong Through Adversity

During this time of extreme challenge it can be helpful to hear from someone who has overcome great adversity. A Les Mills Fit Planet interview with Brooke Rosenbauer offers just such inspiration. HFAC is a proud Les Mills partner, and we are pleased to share this adapted content with permission. This isn’t about someone who found fitness and it changed her life (though we have plenty of those in the HFAC community!). Brooke grew up as a super athletic overachiever. She was involved in soccer, alpine ski racing and ultimate frisbee. Brooke studied international health, led sports-based youth development programs, became a personal trainer, established a career at Reebok, and taught a remarkable number of group fitness classes along the way. However, two pivotal events make Brooke’s story something we can really learn from during hard times. In her early twenties, Brooke was in a traumatic car accident. She spent 10 days in an Ecuadorian hospital before being medically evacuated back to the US. She was bedridden for many months and spent a long time learning to walk again. Then in 2019 Brooke faced another international medical crisis. While holidaying in Greece, she suffered a pulmonary embolism (a life-threatening blood clot in the lung). She spent a month in a Greek hospital before returning to the US and again starting to rebuild her health and fitness from scratch. Les Mills Fit Planet spoke to her about how dealing with dark times has refined her approach to fitness, and how she now coaches others to become the best versions of themselves.

PUTTING THINGS INTO PERSPECTIVE IS KEY

“Going through something that threatens your health, or even your life puts everything into perspective. You realize that nothing else matters if you aren’t healthy. Health truly is wealth. “I’ve stopped worrying about being lean and how my clothes fit or how I look in photos. Now, my motivation is that I want to take care of my body. I want to feel empowered when I lift weights, or free when I run. If my stomach jiggles a little, it doesn’t upset me like it used to because I have more important priorities. I am now playing the long game, and I respect my physical body so much. Nurses told me I survived the pulmonary embolism because of my fitness level, but I feel that in the past I had been beating up on my body by pushing it too much. No more of that. I want to celebrate my body just like it is. “I now know exercise is an amazing way to reconnect with our bodies and take control of our lives. Exercise can help discharge anxious energy or strong emotions that we might not be able to verbalize. It is such a beautiful, healthy way to take care of ourselves. The secret is to honor the bodies we’re given and make sure to balance that exercise with rest and recovery.”

HFAC Personal Trainers specialize in connecting people to healthy goals that motivate & strengthen long term.

YOU NEVER “WIN” AT FITNESS – IT’S AN ENDLESS JOURNEY

“I tell my coaching clients that bumps can and will happen. You need to be able to make adjustments all the time because life never goes to plan. Your ability to throw the plan out the window and adapt makes all the difference. I always say yesterday is over, so don’t beat yourself up. Today is a new day and there are a lot of good things in the world.”

IT’S OKAY TO FEEL BROKEN, POWERLESS, WEAK, OR VULNERABLE

“I’ve realized humans are capable of feeling multiple emotions at the same time. You can be scared and resolved, vulnerable and joyful, confident and weak. There have been times when I’ve felt broken and vulnerable because I was comparing my capabilities to a past self. As scared as I was, I also accepted that I wouldn’t be “broken” forever. “There are some days that I still feel weak. We all have those days. Exercise has been a huge part of my recovery, because it helps me reconnect with my body; it helps me work through the emotions that are just too big to even talk about; and it has provided an incredible community that supports me and accepts me just as I am.”

“Exercise can help discharge anxious energy or strong emotions that we might not be able to verbalize.”

YOUR GREATEST WEAKNESS CAN BE YOUR GREATEST STRENGTH

“I’m really stubborn, and my whole life I thought it was a bad attribute. It wasn’t until I was in hospital in Greece when I realized my stubbornness was actually a positive. I was in a very low place, I thought that I might have to give up on my fitness career, but then a friend reminded me I was far too stubborn to do that. And that’s what got me through. “I had also been very stubborn a few years earlier. I ran a half marathon just a few months after my accident forced me to learn to walk again. It wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but I did it out of blind determination. It was born from someone congratulating me on being able to walk on my own. It was well-meaning, but I didn’t want to be congratulated for such a basic physical task. So I ran 13.1 miles to prove I could. I’m not sure I regret doing that run, but what was regrettable was that the healthcare system wasn’t really there making sure that I wasn’t doing harm to myself. I had no idea if my body was really ready for this and nobody to help or guide me. It was this experience that really inspired my fitness career, so that I could help other people overcome health challenges and not feel so alone.”

“Building a healthy lifestyle can feel intimidating. There’s way too much information out there, and it’s really hard to get through it alone.”

SELF-LOVE IS AT THE CENTER OF WELLNESS

“When we love and respect ourselves, we take better care of ourselves and fitness is no longer a chore or punishment, it’s something we do because it feels good. The reason I preach self-love so much is because fitness can have the opposite effect if we treat it as a punishment or a way to fill an emotional void. In that case, it can actually be really stressful. Power can be used for good or for evil – exercise is the same. When it comes from self-love, exercise is the healthiest thing we can do for ourselves.”

YOU DON’T NEED SERIOUS HEALTH ISSUES TO FEEL THE STRUGGLE

“Trauma doesn’t always have to be dramatic, and it is much more prevalent than we realize. As we go through our lives, we accumulate experiences that shape our perceptions about what we can and cannot do. If you struggled with gym class or felt unloved for being out of shape, it can have a deep impact on your ability to engage with fitness, because you believe you’re unfit or unathletic. “If you are struggling, it could be you’re working towards a goal that doesn’t serve you. Too often people just grab goals from Google, but they’re setting themselves up to fail if there’s no basis for that goal. Building a healthy lifestyle can feel intimidating. There’s way too much information out there, and it’s really hard to get through it alone. It’s easy to feel like you’re not succeeding if you don’t know how to set the right goals.”

HAVING A COACH IN YOUR CORNER PAYS OFF

“Whatever your fitness level, and wherever you are on your fitness journey, having a professional in your corner can be amazing. The benefit of a coach is that they ask powerful questions, and they might make you realize that the trade-offs required for achieving a goal might not actually be what you want – and that can be really liberating. I think the difference between a trainer and a coach can be those conversations. While trainers deliver you exercises, they may not push you on your goals or your perceptions. A good coach will find a way to help seek what you’re looking for, but maybe find it in a different way. And they will help you navigate any storms or bumps in the road. A good coach will always cheer you on. But you always need to be your own cheerleader too.“ HFAC offers Personal Training, Small Group Training, and our signature New Start Programs perfect for those looking for a fresh start. BROOKE’S SECRETS TO SUCCESS

Self-love is at the center of wellness – respect and honor the body you’ve got and the life you’ve been given
Seek help as a practice – not just at your lowest points
Turn your pain into power by focusing on what you’ve gained versus what you’ve lost
Celebrate small wins – it could be doing one push up on your toes, making a smart food choice, or choosing a 45-minute workout over the 30-minute option.
Try different types of exercise until you find something you love.

Finding The Best Music to Motivate

January 11, 2022 by Heidi Sivers-Boyce

Finding the Best Music to Motivate Your Workout in Hillsboro

We’ve all experienced the struggle of trying to find the ideal tunes for exercise. Whether you’re after background beats for lifting or motivation-packed music for cardio, no one size fits all. You can hit shuffle on any playlist, but a mediocre music mix can leave you feeling frustrated and unsatisfied – and certainly not focused on getting a good workout. So what can we do about it?

– One way to get musically inspired is to attend HFAC’s Les Mills BODYCOMBAT LAUNCH , BODYPUMP LAUNCH , CORE LAUNCH or all three on Saturday January 15th 2022 or our ZUMBA PARTY Sunday January 16th 2022! Follow the links for details or call us! 503.640.6404 –

CAN GOOD MUSIC REALLY BOOST RESULTS?

Music is, quite literally, instrumental when it comes to creating the ultimate workout. And for good reason. A carefully-curated playlist can have a marvelous effect on our mind and how our muscles respond to exercise. The right playlist can make us work faster and harder, but also make exercise seem easier.

The right playlist can make us work faster and harder, but also make exercise seem easier.

It’s a type of “legal performance-enhancing drug,” says Costas I. Karageorghis, a leading expert in the interplay between exercise and music, and consultant for Run to the Beat London half marathon, British Athletics, England Rugby, Nike, Red Bull, Spotify, IMG, Sony, and Universal Music. Karageorghis has studied the psychological and physiological effects of music and exercise extensively, finding that synchronous music – that which matches the tempo of the exercise – is key to lifting your enjoyment of exercise, as well as driving motivation and boosting results. This type of music is shown to:

Reduce the perception of exertion by 12 percent
Improve the effects of exercise by 15 percent
Boost endurance by 15 percent
Lift movement efficiency by seven percent.

“The synchronous application of music results in much higher endurance, while the motivational qualities of music impacted significantly on the interpretation of fatigue symptoms right up to the point of voluntary exhaustion,” explains Karageorghis.

Some researchers have suggested that extraverts (who typically seek out external sources of stimulation) are more responsive to music than introverts. And it seems that those new to a particular exercise might be more responsive to music than experienced trainers.

WHAT MAKES GOOD WORKOUT MUSIC?

Finding the right workout music is both a science and an art. Science tells us there are optimal beats per minute (BPM) and for certain types of training it’s best to match the rhythm and tempo to the activity. In his paper, Psychophysical Effects of Music in Sport and Exercise, Professor Peter Terry provides a good example: “If the goal during warm-up is to elevate the heart rate to 110 BPM, then limit choices to music with a tempo in the range 100-120 BPM or, better still, selections that increase gradually in tempo from resting heart rate (around 70 BPM) up to 120 BPM.”

The ‘art’ part comes in when you start finding motivational music and creatively fusing it with science-backed exercises, something that Les Mills has been perfecting for more than 50 years. Les Mills classes, including BodyPump, BodyCombat at Core, have been among the most popular offerings at HFAC since opening! HFAC’s quarterly Les Mills Launches, and new in 2022 quarterly Zumba Parties are great ways to experience the power of music in your workout!

“It always starts with the music,” says Diana Mills, Les Mills Creative Director. “We have to find music that makes you want to move.” Diana works with a devoted music team that collaborates closely with Program Directors, choreographers, composers, and artists, listening to thousands of songs every month to pick the 10 or 12 tracks for each new workout release.

The team curates unique playlists tailored to the specific demands of the workout. Once each suitable song is identified, the team works with record labels to license the track for group fitness classes around the world.

To ensure the music is pitch-perfect for every movement in every class, sometimes the team will work directly with composers and commission a Les Mills original or cover. These musicians are part of the Les Mills Artists stable – musicians who frequently work directly with the Les Mills creative team to create music.

“Sometimes there just isn’t enough contrast or enough highs and lows in the track to make it work for an exercise class,” explains Ezra Fantl, who leads the Les Mills Artists initiative. “By working directly with artists we can create music that feels perfect for the workout. It also allows us more freedom to use music for different uses, such as livestreaming and marketing.”

THE BEST MUSIC FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRAINING

Research shows the role of music is particularly important during stationary cycling. In a 2018 report by ukactive and Stages Cycling, music was identified as a critical factor when selecting a group cycling class by 86 percent of respondents. HFAC instructors love getting music feedback from their class and tailoring it to the different moods and personalities.

Rachael Newsham, Les Mills Program Director, explains that while people respond well to high-energy fast BPMs, music with a slower BPM is equally important when training focus is on conditioning.

Sourcing knockout music for new BODYCOMBAT^™ tracks each quarter, she says the feelings a song evokes are also extremely important. “We always ask how does this song make you feel? Does it speak to you on an energy level and evoke an emotion that will fit with the journey of the workout.”

“We always ask how does this song make you feel? Does it speak to you on an energy level and evoke an emotion that will fit with the journey of the workout.”

While banging beats form the backbone of many great workout experiences, pulsating speakers don’t always strike the right chord. Dr. Marcelo Bigliassi from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, has spent years exploring the neural networks that activate in response to exercise and music. He explains that the use of music during exercise is reliant upon several factors, such as the participant’s attentional style, exercise intensity, complexity, mode, etc. What might motivate during BodyPump, for instance, won’t work for something involving a high level of concentration, or any subdued activity where a strong mind/body connection is key – such as yoga or stretching.

FIND THE PERFECT PLAYLISTS TO SOUNDTRACK YOUR WORKOUT

Follow Les Mills Music on Spotify

You’ll find curated playlists perfect for all sorts of training – everything from running to bodyweight conditioning, stretching, and more. This is also where you can stay up to date with the tunes the fitness creatives are currently listening to.

Check out Les Mills Music Artist page

This is where you’ll find the latest releases by Les Mills Artists.

Check out HFAC’s Group Exercise Schedule for classes to give new inspiration

This article is content adapted by HFAC with permission from Les Mills. Thank you!

Recognizing This Day For Our Health

February 28, 2021 by Heidi Sivers-Boyce

Strength, Wellbeing & Anniversary Reactions

Today, February 28^th, 2021, is the one-year anniversary of the announcement that the first Oregonian, a Washington County resident, had the mysterious new Coronavirus. In just weeks from that date, our lives would begin to drastically change, we would first experience things we are still navigating today.

This means as we navigate March 2021, we will be experiencing anniversaries that mark the beginning of major change. Here are just a few personal I can think of from my role with HFAC, or in my personal life, that you may remember or relate to.

The first request we received to freeze Membership as people began to choose to stay at home that first week of March. What started as a trickle, turned into a stream.
The way our HFAC team navigated the fear and shock, channeling energy into purpose. By the second week of March, we were implementing new virtual options. It’s incredible to read the March 15^th, 2020 Newsletter.
The odd mix of pride, joy, fear and sadness that came from watching Charity Hunt and Nancy Causton host HFAC’s first Virtual Class Forever Fit to great success on March 16^th.
The heavy and lonely decision to close HFAC’s doors to in-person visits on March 18^th, soon to be followed by a State-mandate that would first shutter many businesses, leaving many without paid work time and many others navigating a new world of virtual work.
My kid’s Spring Breaks beginning early. Approaching the end of March in early discussion of how it could just be a few weeks at home until the kids return to the classroom.

So much has happened since these firsts, some very personal and others shared with the entire world. As a health and wellness community, at HFAC we are pausing to take note of these anniversaries. Research tells us that anniversaries of significant life events, especially traumatic ones, can cause a host of reactions. They can manifest as emotions, and for some of us can have significant impacts on our short or long-term wellbeing. Known as “Anniversary Reactions”, people may experience increased anxiety, anger, sleep disruption, and related symptoms. If an Anniversary is not acknowledged, these reactions can be experienced as coming “out of nowhere”.

Anniversary reactions are related to unresolved grief and significant loss. Adding to our current complexity is the chronic nature of the pandemic, and so much additional societal turmoil going on. We are still masked, still virtual, still limited and many of us are dealing with huge impacts like loss of health or a loved one, loss of a job or previous financial security. At the same time as these hardships, we are seeing signs of incredible, significant hope with the vaccine and with decreasing transmission risk levels around us. Businesses and schools are reopening to in-person activity or moving towards doing so. Longer days and better weather are lifting moods. We are navigating a blend of intense challenge and joy, and, as we process our own reactions, we are also needing to navigate those of our children, our parents, our partners, our coworkers. It’s a lot.

At HFAC we have connected to the health benefits of purpose, to being able to serve. Research on Anniversary Reaction also shows a positive effect. It can be used as an opportunity for emotional healing. Progress can be made by recognizing, acknowledging, and paying attention to feelings and issues that surface during this time and letting them release, using them for healing and for gaining perspective. So today I write to mark this Anniversary and use the opportunity to encourage self-care. Before directing too much energy into the future, pause and process the upcoming anniversaries that have meaning to you if that feels like an investment in your health.

Here is what that might look like:

Challenge yourself not to avoid reminders of anniversaries or avoid feeling emotions that arise. Instead, create space and notice what comes up for you.
If you do notice increased negative emotions in yourself or in others, seek compassion and healthy ways to let them out and be expressed rather than holding them in.
Moments of remembrance, whether personal like lighting a candle and listening to music while journaling, or in fellowship, such as sharing stories and memories with those closest to you, can provide structure to a healthy release.
Sensory experiences can be especially comforting, such as swimming in water or listening to healing or spiritual music like this performance of Good Night Dear Heart by a University of Oregon Chamber Choir, recommended to me by a researcher on resilience.
Connect to your body and emotions through physical activity. When active, don’t be surprised if strong emotions arise. Help us create an environment of space and grace at HFAC, if you need to shed a tear in vinyasa or on the treadmill, lift heavier or push harder to sweat it out, we support you in healthy release.

Recognizing anniversaries can often be used as a turning point for recovery by looking over the past year and recognizing how far we have come. This is an opportunity to reflect on credit due for surviving extreme challenge and gaining new skills. It is a good time to look inward and appreciate your own courage, resilience, and resourcefulness, and to look at the people around you who have been there through it with you. Anniversaries can be a time for renewed hope and purpose finding.

While the strong feelings can be upsetting, I hope it is helpful to understand that these are normal reactions. Giving space to feel can allow them to pass through. Seeking the professional help from a doctor, counselor or therapist can be especially productive and essential if a reaction feels harmful or risky. There are many professional resources made available to the community to provide care and support in this very hard time.

By Heidi Sivers-Boyce, Ph.D., HFAC President

Starting an Exercise Routine to Promote Healthy Aging

August 10, 2020 by Heidi Sivers-Boyce

Healthy Aging & Exercise - 4 Simple Home Assessments to Safetly Get Started

Has working or raising a family kept you too busy to take good care of yourself? Have you had an injury or illness that kept you from being active? We allknow that eating well and getting regular exercise is important, but it can be surprisingly hard to know how to get started. Hawthorn Farm Athletic Club (HFAC) excels at getting people over the hurdles of being stuck, overwhelmed, or intimidated. If you experience hurdles to exercise, you are not alone. When you connect with the HFAC community, whether it is virtually or in person, we want you to feel supported immediately. We are a community, all ages and sizes, all working for the same goal of a balanced healthy life full of energy and love. HFAC Director of Wellness, Chari ty Hunt, loves to get HFAC Members connected with the right Group Exercise Class or Certified Personal Trainers to support any new initiative. Some members choose to get started on their own. A way to do that safely as our bodies age or navigate challenges is to identify your current fitness level in key areas. Then youcan tailor your routine to your current needs. Try these four simple tests that you can do at home or in the club, either by yourself or with a fitness professional.

Six-minute Walk Test: Set a timer for 6 min and walk at a pace that you can maintain for 6 min. How far did you get? If you are in the 40-65 year old age range you should get to 600 meters (2000 ft or about 0.37 of a mile). If you are 65-85 years old you should get to 400 meters (1300 ft or ¼ mile). If you walk less then that you need to prioritize exercises that build overall endurance.
30-second Sit to Stand Test: sit in a sturdy chair with your hands folded across your chest. Count how many times to can go from sit to stand in 30 seconds. Ages 60-70 should get to 12 or 14 times. If not, you may need to prioritize leg strength.
Seated Arm Curl: Sit in a chair with a 5lb (for women)or 8lb (for men) dumbbell in your dominant hand. Slowly lower and raise the weight moving only at the elbow (bicep curl). How many times can you curl the weight in 30 seconds. You should be ableto do 15-20 repetitions. If not, you need to work on your upper body strength.
Single Leg Stance: Stand near a counter for safety and place a timer or clock with a second hand on the counter. Stand on one leg without using you hands or raised leg for added assistance. You should be able to stand on one leg with your eyes open for 30 seconds. If not, you need to work on your balance.

Your weekly exercise routine should target each of these areas. Startingwith these doing these 4 simple tests allows you to know where to start and focus. To read ideas for how to build endurance, leg strength, upper body strength and balance with HFAC, stay tuned for my next post or email Charity Hunt (charityh@hfac.com) to schedule your consultation with an HFAC Certified Personal Trainer. By Nancy Causton, MSPT, HFAC Certified Personal Trainer & Heidi Sivers-Boyce, Ph.D., HFAC President

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