6 minute read
The Path to a Balanced Life
by Joa Rivas
On Dec. 13, 2018, I was on stage in front of 400 people presenting a global social impact initiative bringing awareness about mental health and the importance of cultivating a healthy mind and body. Chef Jagger Gordon was one of the judges at this prestigious event called Global Changemakers Series (powered by Mind Valley) and I learned of his incredible work with Feed it Forward. I was so inspired by Chef Gordon’s passion and mission. Talking after the show, we connected and consequently I went on to become a wellness coach and health advocate for this extraordinary person. In sharing our journey together, both Chef Gordon and I hope to inspire you to shake up your own body and go for a renewed version of yourself.
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Chef Gordon has had quite the vibrant life which kicked up a few notches when he began his project with Feed it Forward in 2014. Dedicatedly working day and night, a real superhero in my eyes, Chef Gordon has attracted, lead and inspired so many people to volunteer, helping to rescue perfectly good food destined for waste, and turn it into groceries and tasty meals for thousands of Torontonians who face food insecurities.
Chef Gordon has dedicated his life to this cause, however in contributing to our community and following our true purpose in life we sometimes forget to take time to stop and relax. As the new year commenced, Chef Gordon wanted to start 2019 with a new mindset and a new body; ready to thrive to be the best not only with his actions but with what he represents with his body and eager to not only look younger but feel healthier. He shared his desired to accomplish this goal sooner rather than later and we decided to work together as a team during 2019.
A holistic program is oriented to create a harmonious balance in the body, mind and soul. As a holistic wellness coach, I designed an integrative program personalized to Chef Gordon to follow during a 12-month trajectory. A realistic but effective program that suits his lifestyle. Chef Gordon has a condition of an enlarged heart, perhaps because gives so much of himself, so it was important to make sure he first checked with the doctor before starting our program.
As a philanthropist, Chef Gordon has struggled to create a balance between giving and receiving. He has unconditionally shared his time, talent and treasured health in order to fulfill his mission. During the past decade he has focused on giving back to the world in service and energy and when asked “when do you sleep?”, Chef Gordon cites his quote, “sleep is for the dead” from the internationally bestselling book Magnetic Entrepreneur. This does not surprise me. I see this mindset often in my practice especially in high-level stress jobs such as executives that manage people and have daily activities burning their sympathetic system. Sleep is crucial to balance hormones, to activate the parasympathetic system, to fully rest, and for digestion.
Now in the moment to receive and rebalance his energy system, Chef Gordon decided to reveal to others a very vulnerable part of himself, to show his struggles and his battles; that life is about falling, then standing up again and that life evolves as we progress. I stay in touch daily and I coach him through text messages and personal calls, just to make sure he is okay and on track. Emotional support coaching sessions are very important, where we share the challenges presenting monthly, adjusting the plan and finding solutions such as releasing muscle tightness with Thai massage, muscle therapy sessions, percussion, and fascia stretch therapy when they are needed.
As you know, no one has the exact same life, therefore every client will have a different program to follow, but I provide guidance to my clients and facilitate the system to follow tools and simple strategies to help them achieve their goals. With everyone though I start with the pyramid of health as the fundamental base of every program; promoting solid and effective daily rest and recovery therapies, what we eat, how we eat and nutrition protocols, followed by physical movements, body training and lastly, social interactions.
Happily, Chef Gordon was already practicing daily Zazen meditation that was helping him with his stress levels, but he was still challenged by fatigue at the end of the day. We definitely needed to improve his rest and optimize his nutrition in order to regulate his hormones.
Due to his extremely busy schedule, I wanted to design something that was concrete and simple to execute. Unlike other wellness coaches, I never refer to the word “diet” in my nutrition programs, simply because there is no expiration date. Rather I focus on educating and helping mold a change of behaviour, especially to address a health issue, testing responses to either keep, or modify when necessary. I design nutrition plans to follow individually and to adjust with lifestyle changes. Eventually the process should flow naturally. That is why I refer to my nutrition plans as ‘intuitive eating’. I have created a precision nutrition program based on a ketogenic approach combined with intermittent fasting to accelerate the fat loss results. I personally have incorporated this duo dynamic during the past two years in my own life and It has worked effectively. The Ketogenic Diet has been used since the 1920s to treat epilepsy in kids and many other ailments. This ultra-high fat, low protein and low carbohydrates nutrition forces the body to burn fat for fuel, instead of carbohydrates and induces insulin control. Intermittent fasting is merely an eating style where you eat in a short window of time between six to eight hours and fast the rest of the time. It has given great results for those running many activities during the day and by limiting the time of eating it creates a cascade of hormones to balance. This is a lifestyle we choose and not a diet we impose.
Working in the next level of the pyramid, the physical training, I like to lead by example. Knowing Chef Gordon is a retired Raider in the Marine Corps was a little daunting to say the least but nothing that intimidated me. Many times, I train with my clients to develop trust and empathy and also because we all learn naturally; when we see others moving, we move, we repeat by imitation. So, with Chef Gordon, I train him and motivate him on the gym floor with warmups focused on joint mobility and fascia release as well as short but high-intensity training sessions where we optimize his VO2 max and boost his testosterone two times a week when his schedule allows him. We have placed emphasis in the yoga stretching and core work using Pilates. I make sure that his joints are loose and that his back is prepared to train before we use any extra weight.
So far it has been a very easy for Chef Gordon to stick to the general guidelines. Ketogenic nutrition and intermittent fasting have been smoothly incorporated because it suits his busy morning schedule. He loves eating avocados and drinking beef bone broth daily as part of the gut health protocol. Tracking his body composition with calipers and a tape measure allows us to quantify the progress monthly. So far, he has lost a significant amount of body fat and over 15 lbs of total body weight in this short time. We still have a way to go but more importantly we are gradually moving towards our target.
I am looking forward to continuing to address any challenge that we find in 2019 and am committed to support Chef Gordon’s success. This vulnerable side of Jagger is something he can use as a fuel to progress, not from an ego perspective but from a longevity perspective so he can give more, for longer. The healthier we are mentally and physically the more we can share and grow together. ~
Joa Rivas is an elite personal trainer in Toronto, Ontario. She is also a fitness instructor teaching cardio conditioning, core strength training, yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi. Joa is also nutrition and wellness certified and possesses a unique and effective program for posture support and correction, especially for people who suffer with scoliosis and chronic backaches. www.joafitness.com
