Author: lizjones10

A few weeks back, I had to go get my brakes checked and get regular maintenance on my car. As I was driving to the dealership to drop off my car, I realized I had left my cellphone at home. Suddenly, I felt a surge of panic run through my body. I felt as if I had lost my purse, or was lost on a highway, although neither was the case. It struck me as funny that I am so attached to my Iphone that it caused me emotional distress to realize that I was without it. I survived for 30 years without a cellphone and 40 years without an Iphone, so I started to think about why not having my phone could cause me such discomfort. Our need to be plugged in all the time is one of the many reasons we suffer from so many anxiety and stress-related diseases and ailments.
Texting while driving is one of the most dangerous things that you can do, putting your own wellness and livelihood at risk, as well as taking other people’s lives- innocent victims- in your hands. I’ll admit, I am a “stop light texter” and obviously have the same “addiction” to my phone that many people in our society today have. After I started writing this article, I saw a link on Facebook that was very much in-line with what I was thinking about (yes, another way we need to unplug but I do find Facebook a great resource of information and a way to stay connected to friends and family I may not otherwise have the opportunity to communicate with on a regular basis).

There is a YouTube video of Louis C. K. talking about why he hates cellphones and won’t let his teenage daughters have them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HbYScltf1c
It’s because they cause us to lose empathy for other people, but at the same time create the need to constantly be validated by others. Texting someone something mean is less painful than saying something to a person’s face, but on the other hand, who hasn’t sent out a group text to your friends, just to see who is there to care that you exist? It builds an emotional wall, while also creating a sort of emotional security blanket to avoid just being able to “just be,” to be alone, to be ourselves without acknowledgement of our existence from someone else. He really has a great point. It’s true. Most people become fearful when they start to think about the aloneness of our existence and avoid ever connecting with that feeling. So today, on my way to work, I decided to try an experiment. I couldn’t go the day without my phone, but I did decide not to touch my phone, even at stop lights, on my short 30 minute drive to work. It was actually kind of hard not to naturally just grab it every time that I was waiting at a light. Believe it or not, I made it all the way to work without any emergency, urgent phone call, or life-or-death text I needed to respond to. I do think that giving up texting while driving is probably one of the best life-saving steps you can take in your life, next to quitting smoking, but try to take it a step further and stop using your phone while you are in your car. Even just for a day. Remember what it felt like before we all had phones. Take that time to be more mindful of your surroundings, set your intentions for the day, and most importantly, be safe.

Liz Jones is a wellness professional in Rockwall, Mesquite, Wylie and surrounding areas. She is a writer, certified yoga instructor, personal trainer and wellness coach. She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Strategic Management, with a graduate certificate in Ethics and Leadership. Her undergraduate studies included communication, business, writing, art, fitness, and dance. Liz Jones can be reached at: [email protected].

This is a topic that I am very familiar with. Although I am a yoga instructor and have taught many classes on guided imagery, relaxation and mindful intention, as the old saying goes, “we teach most what we need to learn.” Any good teacher, or writer for that matter, may probably tell you that we are constantly learning, addressing our own hypocrisies, and finding out new things to teach and share through our own experience.
As a kid I remember certain instances of having anxiety, like being on a high board at the pool and suddenly not being able to move forward or go back down the ladder. Or as a teen, dealing with migraines and stomach problems, and working while trying to finish high school and living away from home. Then as a young mother, raising a child on my own while working two jobs and going to college full-time. Some days I felt like I just couldn’t do it all. Later, when my son was in the hospital in a coma after he was in an accident- the stress was so immense my hair would come out in handfuls when I would take ten minutes out of his ICU room to go take a shower. There are many times in my life that I have had first-hand experience with stress and anxiety. There are many reasons I was drawn to yoga and meditation and often have to revisit all that I know to keep it an active and living part of my world.
Everyone has stress, whether it is from being overworked or in a job that they do not feel fulfilled by, or on the other side of the coin, being unemployed or underemployed. Many people struggle with money-issues throughout their lives. Others may have difficult home lives, or be predisposed to anxiety due to family history and chemical imbalances in their brain. Some people have multiple factors that cause them to feel “stressed out.” Or maybe they just have occasional stress from being stuck in traffic, a messy house that needs to be cleaned, or running kids to soccer practice while trying to figure out what to make for dinner after getting home from work. We are an overworked, under-active, overloaded, sleep deprived society, so the connection to stress related diseases and symptoms is becoming more and more common.
In a recent study by ComPsych http://www.compsych.com/resources/featured-resources/746-wellness-trends-ereport?doc=premium_content/ereport_wellness_trends.pdf, it showed that 33 percent of employees felt tense or anxious most of the time. Anxiety is shown to be the 7th most common health problem in the United States.
“This is significant because anxiety can cause or worsen several of the health problems that rank above it, including high blood pressure (No. 1) and headaches (No. 6). Anxiety and chronic stress also can lead to poor dietary and lifestyle choices, which in turn can cause serious health problems.”
Anxiety can show up as symptoms of other issues such as arm pain or tingling in your limbs, chest pains, heart fluttering and, as noted above, can increase risk of high blood pressure, headaches, and even make someone more prone to sickness and less able to recover from other ailments. Anxiety and related symptoms can have a serious negative impact on individuals and cost employers a great deal of money and productivity due to sick days and presentee-ism. Finding ways to manage stress like massage, yoga, meditation, and taking vacation time is an important part of staying well. Getting enough rest, exercise and eating well are also proven ways to help alleviate stress. If you find that you are having chronic stress symptoms, it’s important to talk to your health care provider and talk about other ways to help you feel better.

Liz Jones is a wellness professional in Rockwall, Mesquite, Wylie and surrounding areas. She is a writer, certified yoga instructor, personal trainer and wellness coach. She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Strategic Management, with a graduate certificate in Ethics and Leadership. Her undergraduate studies included communication, business, writing, art, fitness, and dance. Liz Jones can be reached at: [email protected]

I was recently at a memorial service for a well-known musician, Joey Riley. Joey was in his early 40s and was struck by cancer. I didn’t know Joey personally, but he had gone to school with my boyfriend and his family while they were growing up in Wylie, TX. The huge church was filled with people as they showed pictures of him with his wife, family, friends, and his beloved dog. Fellow musicians sang songs in tribute to him. People laughed, cried and told stories about the kind of person that he was.
The thing that struck me the most about him, and about the service, was his ability to continue to be a person full of life, right up to his death. Even while in the hospital receiving treatment for cancer, he maintained his humor and brightened other people’s lives. It’s a shame to lose someone that young, but I think the message that he left behind is a powerful one… live a life of quality for as long as you are given.
If you are healthy, take steps to stay that way. Make sure to enjoy your life every day. Find work that inspires you, have good friends, eat healthy and exercise so that you can prevent disease and have the energy to be fully engaged in life. If you have been feeling less than spectacular, find out why. See your doctor, take a look at what you are putting in your body and what surrounds you in your environment. Are you happy in your relationships, your job, could it be something more? And if you have been diagnosed with a disease, do what you can to manage it and try to maintain the joy in your life, in spite of the misfortune, so that you can live the best quality of life that you can.

Liz Jones is a wellness professional in Rockwall, Mesquite, Wylie and surrounding areas. She is a writer, certified yoga instructor, personal trainer and wellness coach. She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Strategic Management, with a graduate certificate in Ethics and Leadership. Her undergraduate studies included communication, business, writing, art, fitness, and dance. Liz Jones can be reached at: [email protected].

It’s back-to-school time again and a great time to think about your overall wellness and what you eat as a family, especially if you have teenagers that are in sports programs, whether it is a school sponsored sport, a city rec team, the YMCA, select teams, or any other type of athletic program.
As our kids enter their teen years, their bodies are changing and hormone levels are fluctuating. They need more energy than they did when they were younger. Teens require 9 ½- 10 hours of sleep each night- more than the 7-9 hours recommended for adults and children up to the age of ten. A study noted in an article at About.com, shows that most teens are getting only an average of 7- 7 ½ hours of sleep each night, leaving them sleep deprived. http://parentingteens.about.com/cs/teensandsleep/a/teenssleepwell.htm
This affects their mood, emotions, their ability to concentrate and do well in school, and has an impact on their athletic performance.
Even if your son or daughter is not in a structured sports program, it’s important that they get exercise daily. This is a vital time to set habits that will carry forth into adulthood, including how they eat, weight management, and overall healthy living. Getting enough physical activity will help them sleep at night, concentrate better and help their overall mood (possibly helping the stress level of the whole family).
Young children need to be well-nourished to help their bodies grow, but as teenagers, it is just as vital that they are getting the nutrition that they need, more so if they are working to excel in sports. Eating processed cereals is NOT what any child needs for breakfast. It truly is the most important meal of the day and eating processed food like flavored instant oatmeal, breads, sugar laden cereals, pastries, or fatty meats is not going to give them the fuel that they need for the day. Some easy, healthy ideas for breakfasts for your teens and your whole family are protein pancakes with fresh fruit or egg whites with vegetables and lean ground turkey.
So keep in mind SLEEP, EAT WELL, and BE ACTIVE and help keep your whole family set up for optimum performance.

Liz Jones is a wellness professional in Rockwall, Mesquite, Wylie and surrounding areas. She is a writer, certified yoga instructor, personal trainer and wellness coach. She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Strategic Management, with a graduate certificate in Ethics and Leadership. Her undergraduate studies included communication, business, writing, art, fitness, and dance. Liz Jones can be reached at: [email protected].

Sometimes when people are starting a wellness program, or getting back to making wellness a priority in their life, it seems that making significant change is such a large undertaking that they can’t seem to get themselves started. Wellness means a lot of things and can be different to different people. One person may want to train to be a competitive athlete; another may just want to manage their blood pressure to be alive to see their grandchildren grow up; and others may want to have energy and pants that button. It all depends on what priorities each person has. Wellness encompasses many things and will depend on everyone’s individual goals, needs, barriers and personal preferences.
Some things, like blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol levels and other vital statistics can be used to determine if you are healthy by medical standards. Other things like body fat level or weight, or more importantly waist circumference, can be used to monitor progress in some instances.
Also, how you feel and how you function are great indicators of your health, but it’s still important to get regular checkups with your medical provider and your dentist, so you can determine if there are any factors that you need to consider about your overall health.
Depending on what level of wellness you are starting at (or starting again at), there are many things you can do every day to take ownership of your health and wellness. Although some people may have a family history of certain disease and be predisposed to certain things, or have the misfortune to have a genetic defect in their cells, a high percentage of disease is preventable. We are not victims of our bodies, we are the stewards of them.
Here are a few things you can do to move toward wellness at different “levels”:
REALLY EASY
• Get an annual physical & bi-annual dental checkups
• Drink more water
• Use sunscreen and stay out of the sun when possible
• Floss your teeth every day and brush 2-3 times per day
• Don’t text while driving
• Chew your food
• Get up and move for 3 minutes every hour
PUT IN A LITTLE EFFORT
• Develop safer driving habits
• Add more vegetables to your meals
• Get enough better quality sleep
YOU CAN DO THIS
• Reduce sodium, fat and sugar from your diet
• Exercise more
YOU ARE A ROCK STAR
• Eat clean
• Exercise 5-6 days per week, according to your personal goals, with a combination of cardio, weight resistance and yoga/stretching/relaxation.

Liz Jones is the Wellness Coordinator for the City of Mesquite. She is a writer, certified yoga instructor, personal trainer and wellness coach. She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Strategic Management, with a graduate certificate in Ethics and Leadership. Her undergraduate studies included communication, business, writing, art, fitness, and dance. Liz Jones can be reached at: [email protected].

Two thousand and four was a very difficult year for me. I began the year having orthoscopic knee surgery, which took longer to heal from than I expected. After the surgery, due to my inability to go to the gym and not feeling well for quite a while following the procedure, I proceeded to gain almost twenty pounds. I was the heaviest I have ever been (I weighed more than I did when I was nine months pregnant).

In April I cut off almost a foot of hair and donated it to Locks of Love, which was not a bad thing, however it was a huge adjustment for me after having long hair for most of my life. In May, I ended a long time relationship in which I was not happy. Again, not a bad thing, but a major adjustment. Then in June of 2004, the company I had worked at for four years was downsized and I lost my once-secure job.
In August, my beloved seven-year-old cat, Mat, suddenly suffered from kidney failure and died. I thought that was more than I could handle.

Then the unthinkable happened. On September 5, I was leaving the gym on my way to meet some of my girlfriends for a night out, since my son Jordan was visiting with his father for the Labor Day weekend. As I left the gym, I received a message on my cell phone. It was Jordan’s aunt telling me that
my fourteen-year-old son was in a terrible motorcycle accident and was being flown to Gillette Children’s Hospital in a coma.

Jordan had been riding on the back of his dad’s motorcycle, when they slowed down to turn into a driveway to go to a family cookout, they were run over by an SUV. Jordan was dragged 205 feet under the truck before the driver stopped. The vehicle caught on fire, but Jordan was pulled from beneath before the flames reached him. He was in a coma for eleven days and in the rehab department until October 8. I stayed with him twenty-four hours a day while he was at the hospital because he needed me there and I did not want to leave his side.

The good news is that he is recovering wonderfully and is back at school now. During our stay at the hospital, I needed to try to keep myself healthy so I could be there for Jordan. While I was by his side, holding his hand and talking to him while he was in a coma, I needed to keep myself focused on something positive throughout the most difficult time in our lives. There wasn’t a gym to use at the hospital, but I modified my exercise program to things I could do while I was there (including using hand weights in the physical therapy room while Jordan was doing his PT, running in the parking ramp, yoga and tai chi) and I had a friend bring me my protein shakes and bars so I had some healthy food with me to avoid eating all of the junk food our well-meaning visitors brought to the hospital.

When we were finally able to go home, I was determined to make a greater commitment to health and fitness in my life. Because I have always loved to dance, and wanted to start dancing again, I had planned on competing in a fitness competition once I got in shape. Once I was able, I began to focus on that goal. I have spent the past two and a half months working very hard, keeping focused more and more on my training and nutrition, and learning everything I can about what I need to accomplish to be successful at a fitness competition. I have made great strides in this year, many of which have come forth over the past few months. I have become a stronger person both physically and spiritually.

I will be competing in the Gopher State Classic in Plymouth, Minnesota on April 2 as my first competition of my life. This day is not only my fitness competition; it is Jordan’s 15th birthday as well. I will be dedicating my performance to him, in gratitude for his amazing recovery, and to all the people who got me through the most difficult time in our lives. I cannot think of a better reason to celebrate health and fitness!
This article was written when I was preparing for the first figure and fitness competition I had ever done. I have since competed in a few different shows. Jordan is now 23 years old and is doing great as an adult. He is currently living back in Wisconsin and getting ready to go back to college this summer to work on his degree. I am blessed and grateful every day for his health and his recovery. He is definitely my comeback kid and a walking miracle.