Kathleen Trotter is a fitness expert, media personality, personal trainer, writer, life coach, certified Pilates and ELDOA instructor, and overall health enthusiast. Her passion is motivating others to “find their fit” and works with clients ranging from endurance athletes to individuals living with Parkinson’s disease and osteoporosis. She also writes for the Globe and Mail and Huffington Post, blogs for Flaman Fitness, and makes regular TV appearances. Kathleen holds an M.Sc. from the University of Toronto and a nutrition diploma from the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. She lives in Toronto where she owns a personal training studio. Find out more about Kathleen at www.KathleenTrotter.com.

To paraphrase an old adage, “To elicit different results you need to think and act differently.”

If you feel you are constantly working on and worrying about your health yet never reaching your goals, it might be time for a new approach. Come at the problem with fresh eyes!

“Steal” from the business world — give your lifestyle a “360 review.”

A 360 review is a well-rounded, multi-layered, collaborative assessment where peers, employers, employees, etc. collaborate with the person being reviewed in assessing performance.

Some iteration of a 3D, systems-based analysis is critical — although typically missing — when adopting a healthier lifestyle.

Why? No one intervention (diet, workout program, miracle product, etc.) can be the health panacea; key variables like sleep quality and quantity, types of workouts, recovery, and nutrition interact as within an ecosystem or chemistry experiment. You can’t exercise daily while treating your body like a garbage can and never sleeping. Piecemeal solutions don’t work long-term.

Too many of us overestimate our healthy choices and attitudes and underestimate our unhealthy ones. Having friends and family weigh in (pun slightly intended) can highlight blind spots.

A well-rounded 360 analysis allows you to build a well-rounded plan for long-term ACTION!

Step 1. Complete an analysis

Awareness brings choice. You can’t change a habit you are not aware of!

Include personal, peer, and family reflections.

Keep a journal. Record data on the linchpin health habits below. Pinpoint your biggest blind spots. Prioritize improving those. For example, if you’re fairly active but have terrible nutrition, prioritize food prep.

Ask family, colleagues, and peers to identify strengths and areas for improvement. You might think you only occasionally grab nuts at work; your colleague might know you grab handfuls multiple times daily. Handfuls add up. Note all feedback. If you hear something more than once, or something resonates with you, make that your priority.

Step 2. Work on blind spots

Sleep

Your body and brain recover and your hormones are rebalanced as you sleep. For example, a lack of sleep increases ghrelin (which makes you hungry) and adequate sleep encourages production of leptin (which makes you feel full); it is nearly impossible to say “no” to sugar if you are chronically tired.

Consider establishing a cut-off time for caffeine and setting a “start sleep routine” alarm. Then turn of screens, stretch, meditate, take a hot bath, etc.

Strength training

Strength training fuels every health and fitness goal, from fat loss to decreased injury to improved mental health. Consider working with a trainer to learn proper form and getting a fitness buddy to increase motivation.

Recovery

Recovery includes activities that bring you into your parasympathetic nervous system, such as stretching, foam rolling, meditation, deep breathing, yoga, and massage. When you don’t have a chunk of time, pepper a few seconds of deep breathing and stretches throughout the day.

Interval training

Interval training requires alternating between high- and low-intensity bouts of activity. This places a high metabolic demand on the body, burns lots of calories in a short time, produces a high EPOC (post-workout calorie burn), increases mitochondrial growth (mitochondria help burn fat), and improves fitness. Try Tabatas, AMRAPS, Minutes, or intervals on any cardio machine.

Nutrition

Consistency is key. Consistency requires preparation. Consider syphoning off time weekly to prep easy-to-assemble healthy meals; make healthy choices as convenient as unhealthy ones.

Main take-aways

What counts is the sum total of your lifestyle choices — weekly, monthly, yearly trends. Become aware of variables you have under control (so you can reproduce) and areas needing improvement. We all have limited time, resources, and energy. Invest energy where it will serve you.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s natural. But don’t get mired in the muck. Don’t change everything at once. Start. Tweak as you go. Aim to trend positive.

When you fall of your health horse, course correct as quickly as possible and learn from the experience!

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If you’ve been to a mall or commercial strip recently, you may have noticed ads and/or merchandise featuring plus size models. With the body inclusivity movement going mainstream, it’s hard not to consider bringing out the champagne. 

But it’s too early to celebrate.

Although, Deborah Weinswig reveals that the plus-size category was responsible for 41% of growth in the women’s apparel market in the recent years, there are still companies that are hesitant to diversify their portfolios. For instance, Urban Outfitters were in a pickle last year when they released an ad featuring plus-size models, although it turns out that the company only stocks sizes up to size 12. Victoria’s Secret’s Ed Razek also drew criticism when he said that the company will not feature trans or plus size models because their shows are “fantasies”, implying that these types of models will ruin the shows’ fantastical nature. 

Thankfully, many brands are sincere in their attempts to include all body types in their target market. But in order to truly reach out to this audience, we need more than lip service and media pandering. 

One thing that brands can do is to create designs aimed at all body shapes. This also means changing fashion and design philosophies in general, a task that is obviously easier said than done. Designer Sander Lak admitted in an interview that size “does become more complicated the lower or higher up you go, because it becomes a completely different design.” He added that this is because “the whole industry is built around a certain type of body – so if I make all my samples in a [larger size], it immediately eliminates a lot of possibilities.” Fortunately, this seems to be changing fast, as the fashion world is already expanding its target market, and thus, its design philosophy.

Last year, for instance, the Full-Figured Fashion Week shows drew large crowds, and brands responded with products that address the interest. More designers and manufacturers are coming up with versatile pieces that can be worn by people of various sizes. Oversized pieces such as boyfriend jeans and baggy tops are selling well for big brands like Calvin Klein, Forever 21, and Zara, finally embracing plus size women. Another brand that is fighting the good fight is Woman Within. The 7-day knits leg pant on Woman Within has an elastic waistband that “stretches to fit perfectly”, showing how fashionable attire can easily be designed to accommodate all body types. When our designs become more inclusive and versatile, body type and size become irrelevant. 

But other than creating inclusive designs, removing the division between plus size and the perceived ‘normal’ sizes (under 12) can be helpful in pushing towards real inclusivity. While many brands have jumped on the bandwagon by using the plus size category as an expansion market, some companies such as ModCloth have ditched the plus size section to put straight and plus size garments under the same categories. The aim is to remove the binary notion that plus size is a ‘special category’ and straight sizes are the ‘norm.’ This way, consumers are given more size options without having to go to a separate section or be branded as plus size.

After all, the inclusivity movement is not just about adding a special section for sizes above 12. It’s about making the industry acknowledge the existence of body types that do not fit into the body image peddled by society.

Clearly, what the fashion industry needs to do is to go beyond marketing gimmicks and begin expanding their inventories in such a way that includes all sizes. This means not only offering more inclusive designs but also to actively integrate other sizes. This will take more than a few commercials or token products. What we need, more than ever, is a paradigm shift that will give people of all body types a world that acknowledges their fashion needs.

Dr. AVA SHAMBANS TOP 10 TIPS TO PROTECT FROM PIERCING COLD AND DEFEND THE DERMIS:

1. Avoid Hot [beverages and bath]– tepid temperatures and shorter showers will be good for your skin and the environment
2. Toss the Trident and Forget the Flavored Balm [ especially minty spicy or even fruity] balms – both contribute to drying and chapped lips
3. Cover your mouth! Don’t just slather a balm or emulsive lip product on in the morning pull a scarf, neck warmer or wind-breaking muffler over your lips and lower face
4. Exfoliate in the evening– effectively and gently with enzymes [natural papaya, bamboo or volcanic] or glycolic, lactic, salicylic or azeliac acid so night moisturizer and serum will penetrate most effectively
5. Crank up the ultrasonic humidifier especially in heated buildings by day or overnight
6. Slow down and sip– because it is so cold may not feel dehydrated – so drink more room temperature water and slowly to keep hydrated no matter how cold
7. Max your Moisturize after showering – use the benefits of while skin is still wet to seal the skin surface and add in an essential oil to moisturizers at night
8. For Serum Sake– Sleep on Silk! Cotton will absorb the expensive actives and prevent best benefit
9. Don’t skimp on sunscreen– apply as much and as often in winter as summer [including not just face, but neck and hands]
10. Change up your Product Routine!
    • Consider a ceramide-based product because the fatty acid will improve the skin barrier and function aiding in moisture sealing and protection
    • AMP up the AHA and Vitamin E intake
    • Make it better with butter– slather on the shea butter mango butter or incorporate squalene, apricot or coconut oil
    • Add a hydrocone mask for additional moisturizing benefits
    • Change your cleanser to a hydrating formula with AHA
    • Layer Serums in an anti-oxidant serum at night

DR. AVA SAYS THERE ARE A FEW DERMAL DELIGHTS OF WINTER – SILVER LININGS OF LADY WINTER – SO ENJOY

• Puffiness dissipates and the cold naturally rejuvenates and tightens dermis
• Acne lessens, and pores appear primed and perfect
• We breath deeper, sleep sounder and give our skin more time for turnover, recovery, and actives to work more effectively
• Less active sweat means fewer clogged pores and less absorption of environmental sludge, debris and dead skin cells in the follicles [a.k.a acne]
• AND the Natural Flush of color makes for less makeup
   

For any “9th inning” winter dermal dilemmas or any other skincare needs, Dr. Shamban is available for interviews quotes or comments. We will be in touch to see what is hot on your list of editorial topics as we ease out of the cold weather season and spring ahead!