The Seven Best Doctors

I have heard the 7 best doctors are sunshine, fresh air, exercise, water, diet, laughter and rest. 

In looking at this list I can easily cross off sunshine being that’s where I work every day.

 Being outside every day all day allows me the opportunity to take in all the fresh air my lungs can. 

With my job and the activities I do daily I get exercise that flops me in bed every night. 

Working outside, especially in 30 above in chainsaw pants and gear has a girl drinking water till I’m ready to float away.

As for diet, thats always been a no brainer for our family as we know what you put into your body affects your output so we have always been very aware of our food intake (exception being the chocolate chips I steal while hiding in the pantry from time to time, for blood sugar purposes of course).

 I look to laugh at every opportunity I get.

And then there is the rest,  ahhhh…  this is where I fall short.

 As tired as I may be, I am not getting the amount of restful sleep I need.  I know without it my body and mind don’t function to its full capacity and that I am more prone to injury and less likely to heal and recover. So it is with this knowledge and pure exhaustion that I have finally decided it’s not worth putting off the inevitable. I have finally gone in and have a scheduled date for carpal tunnel surgery.  As quick and easy as this procedure is, less than 20 min actually, the recovery time is a bit longer.  I am to do NOTHING for 6 weeks and for other stuff 12 weeks possibly longer.  As the surgeon looked me straight in the eyes with a pulling no punches stare, he asked me point blank “Are you capable of rest and allowing yourself to heal?”  I think my family squealed to him as to my inability to sit down and do nothing, good thing my legs will still work.  I have put this off for a few years now but have finally reached the point that it’s never going to be a good time and I would rather have a better quality of rested life. As frustrating and disappointing as this may be to setting back progress on my goals, I have reached a place of realization that I want to be able to do the things I enjoy until I’m older and ricketier and I want to be able to enjoy each moment of the journey not just surviving through it with little grace and a whack load of pain.  The truth is I’m looking more to longevity in all of my training, activities and work.  Sometimes one must step back a little, get the rest and healing the body is yelling for in order to progress forward and accomplish and enjoy the things that are important to us.

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

 

Picture of the week, taken November 2017 on Brandons and mine road trip to Crowsnest Pass.  Just beautiful, no other words to describe.

Value of Team

|We are not a team because we work together.

We are a team because

We respect,

Trust and care

For each other.

We each joined the year of the I Ho Chuan for our own personal reasons; however, I believe if you were to look closely and compare ones list to another, they would most times be working towards similar goals and directions. Looking around our circle of teammates it is quite obvious that we are a group made up of very different personalities.  It is the combination of all these people put together that have the potential to make a great team with the ability to accomplish fabulous and extraordinary things. Although there are parts of a year in the I Ho Chuan that are quite individual there is a huge part that is team.  This team portion is the part that for some is more difficult than others. Those who may prefer to work it on their own and to focus solely on their own personal goals and ambitions may miss out on a big benefit of what being part of this team has to offer.  As I have found myself in a tough place personally I have been deeply touched by the reaching out of a couple of teammates.  It is the sincere reaching out, honest, respectful, caring actions that have had the power to keep me moving forward even though at a turtle pace. It is the qualities that these individuals have demonstrated that I see as true qualities that make up not only a person worthy of a black belt but one that is a gift to the world they live in.  It is even more incredible to me when the outreach of support and care comes from someone whose balancing of life does not allow them to be present at every class or event however they are more in tune and engaged than what many might recognize.

I really encourage each of us to continue or for some start reading each other’s blogs and for those not blogging, start.  Allow the entire team to be a part of your journey.  Let each member of this team know that someone has their back, that there is a group of people who care, respect and are looking out for them. The moments we believe we are the only ones struggling, the only ones who have ended up detoured, I will guarantee there is at least one of the many who make up this team who has found themselves in a similar place and who may be able to offer help.  Why struggle alone in silence when we have such a wealth of resources at our finger tips? Why not help others from our own lessons learned? 

I am truly grateful to those who have reached out to me at a time that was low and discouraging. You will never know completely how much it meant and the difference it made! You have reminded me how important it is to be aware of, watching out for and caring for those around us, whether they are there in the flesh or from a distance. Thank you thank you thank you!

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

Picture of the week, a slam on the brakes look at that barn moment!

I love old barns, old stuff of all kinds actually. Love to think of the stories they could tell!

Cutting Corners

I’m running down the trail, a long steady hill climb ahead, my feet feel like they have 50lb weights on them, I’m tired and drenched in sweat.  Three steps ahead I spot a hidden path that few use that would obviously be a short cut to my final destination allowing me to avoid the grueling hill, cut my distance to 2/3’s and land me back to the parking lot ½ hour sooner, nobody would be any the wiser.  What path do I take? Will I be okay in my own mind with knowing I took that shortcut? Will there be consequences that I haven’t considered or are not aware of at the present time? Will I regret it?

Life is full of possible shortcuts in every aspect of life, in our jobs, education, training etc etc.  The path we choose is up to us, it may be skewed and altered by others and circumstances, but ultimately we are the ones that will make the choices that will lead to the final outcome. There are those corners that we believe nobody will notice if cut but the truth is the effort and involvement we give will always show to the outside eyes whether we acknowledge that or not; what we put into something will show in the end and will continue to affect not only our immediate progress but our future accomplishments in unlikely places. To be aware of the fact that every corner cut we cheat not only ourselves and those around us is something to consider with every contemplated shortcut.  There is no better feeling than to know with every fiber of your being that you gave all you could and at the same time showed others just what they are capable of.  So one must ask themselves, what am I doing, why and how will this affect and change my life?  Am I on the path I want?

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

 

Picture of the week, looking down toward Grande Cache from powerline.  Love this place and the memories it holds.