Dr Lindsey Forbes, CPsych
103-630 Colborne St. N6B 2V3 London, ON, Canada

The "Healthy Mind Platter" - a great review of 7 essential 'mental nutrients' that your brain needs to function at it's best. http://www.huffingtonpost.com//healthy-mind-platter_b_8706

An interesting experiment is taking place in Seattle. Read about how the Seahawks are revamping the way a football franchise approaches the physical and mental well-being of the sport. http://espn.go.com//seattle-seahawks-use-unusual-technique

"Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game" - Babe Ruth

Some extra motivation for this Monday: 9 tips to break out of that workout rut. http://www.fitnessmagazine.com//y/workout-motivation-tips/

'The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one' - Elbert Hubbard. The fear of failure & mistakes is a common issue I see in my practice. Understandable, none of us wants to fail or struggle, but we're fighting a losing battle as we ultimately will make mistakes. We're human! A few ideas I share with my clients:... 1. If you're not making mistakes, you're not trying anything new. You're playing it safe. 2. Mistakes are proof that you're trying and effort is what's most important. 3. If it's always perfect, you likely aren't learning that much and you're definitely not being challenged enough. 4. Mistakes and failure are great learning opportunities and give us a chance to figure out how to dig deep and overcome obstacles and challenges. I also like to tell them about some "famous failures" to challenge their ideas of success/failure. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLYECIjmnQs

Top 4 mental roadblocks you may encounter during a long run and how to beat them: http://www.runnersworld.com//beat-mental-roadblocks-on-the

We were born to MOVE & being active is essential to a healthier life. Unfortunately, in today's society most adults spend a large portion of their day sitting & kids are logging about 7.5hrs of screen time a day. % of adults who get the recommended 30 minutes of exercise a day: 40-50% Number of youth who get the recommended 60 minutes of activity per day: 1 in 3... Interestingly, inactivity tends to be more prevalent among higher income levels and is highest in the Americas (40-50% vs. 15-19% in South East Asia). I spent some time in SE Asia 2 years ago and was struck by how physically active people were, particularly children. It was common to see kids riding their bikes and walking long distances to and from school, playing intense games of soccer at recess, and running around outside in the evening. We joined in an impromptu game with a group of kids (involving sticks and a hole in the ground) that lasted a couple of hours and they never seemed to tire! http://www.who.int//risk_factors/physical_activity_text/en/

Almost 1000 women made it out yesterday for the London Lady's Half-Marathon! Amazing! Now's the time for a Post-Performance Review: 1. Did you meet your goals? 2. What went well? 3. What did you learn?... 4. What would you do differently next time? 5. What do you need to keep working on? Reviewing your performance helps you gain better self-awareness so you can target your personal strengths, challenges, and areas for improvement. No matter how the race went, there's always something positive, something negative, and something you learned.

Inspirational signs posted every km along the course. Your mind can only focus on 1 thing at a time - hoping these signs help provide a positive message/thought to keep negatives at bay!

Having a blast chatting with runners at the pre-race expo for the London Lady's Half Marathon, Half Marathon Relay & 5K!

Why an ALL-WOMEN's race? Consider this: - For the first 75 years of the Boston Marathon, women were banned from competing. In fact, women were banned from entering races longer than 1.5 miles due to the belief that longer races would be physically damaging & would impact their ability to have children. - In 1966, Roberta Gibb snuck into the Boston Marathon by hiding behind a bush at the start line. Without a bib, her finish was never recorded.... - In 1967, Katherine Switzer registered for the Boston Marathon under 'K. Switzer' and, assumed to be male, was given a race bib. When officials noticed she was female, they physically tried to remove her bib & force her off the course. At the same time, Roberta Gibb had once again snuck on the course but was ultimately forced off by officials just steps before the finish line. - Due to the work of female advocates (such as Switzer), women were finally allowed to compete in the Boston Marathon in 1972. - In 1984, the 1st women's marathon event took place at the summer Olympics in L.A. - Currently, women make up about 65% of all runners in organized running events. More and more women are excelling in ultra-distance races, where they often outperform men in distances longer than 90K. At Sunday's London Lady's Half Marathon, Half Marathon Relay & 5K, we run to thank the female runners who paved the way & to celebrate the positive spirit, resilience, & camaraderie of all women.

Excited to be part of the 1st London Lady's Half Marathon this weekend! I'll be at the pre-race expo on Saturday sharing tips to help runners run their very best race.

Motivational Monday: A pep-talk from Kid President. "You were made to be AWESOME!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-gQLqv9f4o