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Learn Mental Toughness Tips From Elliot Waksman of Portland Sport Psychology

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Our LIVE interviews are zooming right along! I so appreciate all of our interviewees, and all of YOU for tuning in and asking great questions! This week, I’m excited for you to meet Elliott Waksman, director of Portland Sport Psychology.

Elliott has worked in the field of sport & performance psychology since 2010, helping individuals and groups boost their mental toughness. He has had the unique opportunity to collaborate with high achievers ranging from Olympic athletes, student-athletes, coaches, Special Operation soldiers, dancers, and physicians. His time in the trenches with those elite performers, confirmed his philosophy that developing mental skills, like resiliency, optimism, focus, and confidence helps everyone perform better, regardless of the stage.

Elliott loves this work because he wants to make the world a better place. He finds fulfillment when clients enjoy healthier relationships, better self-awareness, and more productivity – on and off of the field.
Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Elliott was a recognized three-sport athlete at Lincoln High. He often incorporates both his personal sport experiences and sense of humor in his mental training sessions.
Tune in live with us this Saturday at noon to learn Elliott’s mental toughness techniques. This is sure to be a fun and thought provoking conversation!  

Use this Zoom link to tune in, you may join us with your audio and video on or off, and you may ask questions live “in person” on by typing into the chat box.

Meeting ID 847 0380 6987

Meeting Password 024620

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84703806987?pwd=L0pvOWdhWHVqWHFuTHR1eEgxYkdiZz09

Please share this with your friends. See you Saturday!
~Anne

The June Five Exercises

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About the Five: Each month I offer five exercises to improve your strength, balance, flexibility, and mobility. My hope is that you will go through these on your own or with me three times a week. Some moves (like this month’s tai chi twist) you could do every day.

  • Tai Chi Twist
  • Side Step
  • Step Up
  • Calf Raise
  • Single Leg Deadlift

This month we focus on legs!

I suggest you hold a weight in each hand for single leg deadlift. This also works well with a band under your back foot, making this a “closed chain” exercise. Can you go through one minute of each of these right now?

These photos are meant to jog your memory about the exercises we have done together. Please use your best judgment as to how suitable these are for you right now.

Thai Chi Twist

Side Squat

Step Up

Calf Raise

Single Leg Deadlift

These photos are meant to remind you of work we have done together. Please see your medical professional prior to beginning a new exercise program.

If you’d like more detailed information on these exercises, click one of the links below:

Join a class

Schedule a 1:1 with Anne

*LIVE* Interview With State Farm Agent Dimitri Kondos Saturday May 30th

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Have you met our local State Farm agent Dimiti Kondos? His office is on Milwaukie, just south of Bybee, and you have probably seen this lovely mural on the side of the building.

I’ve gotten to know Dimitri through the Sellwood Moreland Business Alliance meetings, and love how connected his is to our community. These are uncertain times, and he is here to give us peace of mind. When your basement floods, or your car gets dinged, do you have a special person you can call who will talk you through the process, advise you as to your deductible, and whether or not to file a claim, and refer you to contractors, or other service providers that you can trust? If Dimitri is your agent, you do!

During stressful times I like to gather facts. By focusing on the things that are under my control, I feel less stressed and out of control. Join us Saturday to learn why now is the perfect time to double check your policy, and what you can do to fill in any holes.

  • Do you have the proper insurance coverage?
  • Do you know what your policy covers?
  • Do you know the amount of your deductible?

Contact Dimitri this week and you will feel safe and secure with your home or auto insurance policy.

Kondos Insurance Agency, Inc.

7304 SE Milwaukie Ave, Portland, OR 97202 Bus 503.206.6035    Fax 503.719.6125

dimitri.kondos.kfam@statefarm.com

www.KondosInsurancePDX.com  

Licensed: Oregon, Washington & California

MLO #973632 NMLS #139716

*LIVE* Interview Saturday May 23rd with Chi Running Instructor Alice Diffely

Thanks Alice for sharing your insights on running form and safety! Check out our live interview below.

I first met Alice during one of her Chi Running workshops years ago. As you may have experienced, being coached by someone else, and then videotaped while you move gives you a whole new insight into whether “your” reality matches “the” reality. Spoiler alert – I was surprised to learn that I was not in fact swinging my arms and legs like she had instructed me, even though that is what it “felt like” I was doing.

In addition to running and walking coaching, Alice is a Registered Yoga Instructor, Certified TRE® Provider, and Original Strength® Certified Coach. She has lots of tools in her tool box that all lead to one point, improving your body awareness. She shares with us her tips on running safety (yes or no to masks, best practices for running outdoors) in these strange times.

If you suffer from knee, back, or hip pain after running or walking, Alice is here to help.

Alice shares some of her upcoming offerings:
• I’m available for virtual gait analysis. You can download the Coach’s Eye app and have a friend or family member use that to shoot a quick clip of you running or walking. It helps to get a sideview, and well as front & back views. E-mail me the video clip, and I’ll send you my analysis along with a few personalized form focus tips for your to work on.
• I’m available for Zoom sessions in yoga. I have a lot of experience teaching Yoga for Runners & Walkers, as well as Yoga for Athletes. For their past 4 competitive seasons, I’ve taught yoga to the Portland Winterhawks. I’m also available for Zoom sessions in TRE®, which stands for Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises. It’s a movement-based technique that enables your body to shake off accumulated stress and tension in order to down-regulate the nervous system and help bring it back into balance. Due to the pandemic, many of us are experiencing unprecedented stress on a variety of levels. I look forward to sharing this highly effective self-care tool with more individuals to help them find greater calm and more resilience during this challenging time.
• I’ll be offering Zoom classes through Portland Community College’s Community Education/Recreation & Wellness Department during their Summer Term and Fall Term. My Summer Term offering will be Yoga for Teen Athletes, intended for 12-17 year olds. My course proposals for Fall Term include Yoga for Runners & Walkers, a new course offering called TRE® & Yoga for a Calmer Nervous System, and potentially another section of the Yoga for Teen Athletes class.
• I also recently became an Original Strength® Certified Coach. The philosophy behind OS is that by revisiting movement patterns that we progressed through early in our lives, we’re able to press reset to rid ourselves of unhelpful movement habits and regain our ability to move in a more fluid, natural way. I integrate OS principles into a lot of my yoga teaching, and I look forward to offering some Facebook Live events or Zoom sessions soon to share this innovative approach with more clients.

Head over to Alice’s website here or facebook page here for more info.

Moreland Farmers Market Reopens Wednesday May 20th!

The Farmer’s Market is back! Wednesdays, from 2-6 pm. Still near Wilhelm’s, this year they have moved one block north on SE 14th Avenue between SE Glenwood St & SE Claybourne. Click here to read the market’s safety guidelines. You may walk up and shop – treat this shopping experience as if you are at the grocery store, no sampling, no hanging around, get your veggies and move along buddy! You also have the opportunity to preorder and pick up via the drive thru. Is anybody else cracking up that they have made a healthy drive thru? I love it!

I have been getting out and about a little more, and here are my top picks this week:

Reed Canyon. Looking for a quiet, in town nature walk where you may see birds, otters, or salmon? Reed has posted signage directing everyone to move in one direction around the creek, and to stay far away from each other. I was there Tuesday at 5 and it felt safe, and not too crowded.

Westmoreland park is another good choice, with wide walking paths and plenty of space.

Now, back to yummy food. We’ve mostly been hitting up the food carts on the weekend, (I can only eat my own cooking for so long) this feels like a safe way to support local businesses. I just found out that my favorite gumbo cart, Matt and Memere’s, has moved over to 35th and Powell in a pod where the old Original Taco House was (and right next door to DiNicola’s) so if your crowd can’t decide what to eat, you’ve got your choice of gumbo, gyros, fried chicken and jojos, or spaghetti and meatballs all at one location!

Eric was super excited to see Laughing Planet on Woodstock has reopened. They have their quarantine game down! You place you order and pre-pay online. They have tables set up just inside the door with your bag stapled shut, clearly labeled with your name, and a receipt taped to the outside showing the exact contents of the bag. You grab your food and head out the other door. I didn’t come within sneezing distance of another human the whole time. So if you are looking for a healthier option for burritos, bowls, and salads check them out (I usually pick the daily special and have never been disappointed).

I hope that you are doing what you feel is best for you and your family right now. If that means hunkering down at home, you have made the right choice. If you feel comfortable exercising outdoors, you have made the right choice. If you feel safer wearing a mask while doing so please do.

And lastly, these are my top pics based on where I went in the past week or so, not paid endorsements. I have no connection to these businesses, other than I like their food and their people, and wanted to share these places with you. If you have favorite places you’ve been going to lift your spirits, I’d love to hear about your quarantine adventures!

xoxo

~Anne