A Personal Trainers…Holidaze
April 30, 2008
Rules of day to day no longer apply as you surrender to the hearts and minds of those closest. Conversation, food and wine are intoxicating. You can’t leave the table the conversation is too good. The holiday food keeps coming. I fall back into the silken warmth of family stories and recollections of past years.
I generally eat until I am sated but now? its quest for space, I must keep up, I can’t be that? "I don’t eat that wimp". I can’t spoil this mood and bring everyone down to reality! Somehow I manage to find space for that piece of dark nutty chocolate beckoning me to come home to my pallette, where it would receive all the comfort love and warmth I need to express in this state of holiday bliss. I have now surrendered?.. The conversation wonders back to a particular chocolate that sister in law is passionate about and as she unfolds its mysteries you must taste and discover. This is no time for excuses.
Feeling good. Eyes wonder out to the blanket of snow and everything feels safe and warm. The last place I would want to go is out into the cold (’reality’ I think). All is swell; until that transition day when you walk back into the doors of your own home?. if you can fit.
Money Talks - How Your Listening Skills Bring You Wealth
April 29, 2008
Money Talks - How Your Listening Skills Bring You Wealth
by: Tania French
Yesterday I spent some time with a friend and kept my mouth shut. Well, not the whole time, but most of the time.
What kind of friend was this.
A person who’s expertise in health is one I admire and seek out whenever there’s an opportunity.
So, here was a chance to ask a lot of questions and Listen. It made me realize why I don’t like small talk. Never have. So, we didn’t talk about the news, barely mentioned the weather, and there definitely was no gossiping about others - just a joyful exchange of helpful information and laughs.
This friend is highly successful. He’s a great listener. Because of that, he connects on a deep level with those he’s listening to. The result of this careful attention is that his answers to questions are intuitive, lightning bolts of reason.
When you hang around people who haven’t accomplished much with their gifts, you notice that they like to talk - and have a hard time listening.
Makes you realize why they’re life is in a rut.
African American Hiking for Spiritual Health
April 29, 2008
Hiking is gaining popularity within the African-American community. We’re beginning to spend more time in nature in an effort to connect deeply with the spirit within. The alertness that is required to observe the natural beauty around us is calming, energizing and edifying. Noticing the colors on the trees, listening to the sounds of the birds, and overlooking scenic landscapes or wonderful bodies of water can heal the soul very profoundly.
Hiking Alone
To be alone with my private thoughts in the space of my own company is euphoric. Moving at my own pace and experiencing the freedom to take any path that looks interesting or simply stop to relax or read is very liberating. Sometimes I listen to inspirational music, messages of personal growth or a guided meditation on my portable CD player. Other times I just listen to the sound of our beautiful natural world. I always stop to journal when hiking. The insights I get while hiking are rarely achieved during the hustle and bustle of work and family life.
Hiking with a Partner
How to Supercharge Your Energy Levels through Exercise
April 28, 2008
Your energy levels will depend on several factors, including genetics, nutrition, sleep habits, and emotional stress. Some of these you have no control over But there is one VERY important factor that you do have control over and that is your ability to take part in physical exercise.
Need a source of vast power and energy?
Look no further than your gym.
The link between physical fitness and energy is so strong, that doctors have lately been prescribing exercise as treatment for chronic fatigue, depression, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and insomnia, for instance.
If sufferers of the most stubborn kind of fatigue can be energized with exercise, imagine what can do for those of us who experience ordinary, every-day fatigue.
* Feel Great At Mid-Afternoon *
Your brain thrives on oxygen. Blood transports oxygen to the brain, so the greater blood flow to the brain, the greater the oxygen supply the brain has. As you increase your heartbeat with a vigorous workout, more blood surges through the brain, more oxygen gets absorbed by your brain cells, and you feel more mentally alert and energetic.
Say Goodbye to Struggle
April 27, 2008
Say Goodbye to Struggle
by: Jeanie Marshall
Struggle is a common expectation in our society. We tend to plan for it, anticipate it, and invite it into our lives. It has become so familiar that we often push away joy or peace or harmony, declaring such experiences to be unreal or temporary or frivolous.
Many folks tend to feel more alive when they are struggling against something. Work groups and whole organizations are established to compete — a form of struggle — against something. War and violence are glamorized. War against war is still war. Ill health is considered routine. Senility is the prospect of advanced years. Suffering is considered noble. Whether we struggle against struggle or resign ourselves to struggle, we are in struggle.
And so Now, to You….
Let’s move from the collective “we” and the impersonal “they/many” to you and your inner self and outer behavior. Consider how you struggle. Knowing how you struggle will assist you in replacing your pattern with different behavior. You may also find it helpful to reflect on what you struggle against, but I caution you about lingering there too long. It is too easy to fall into the trap of explaining or blaming the “what” against which you struggle. Your struggle is not about the other person or thing; your struggle is about you.
Yoga and Low Carb Diets
April 26, 2008
Yoga is an ancient system of movement designed to generate vibrant health and well being. Excellent health and well being are experienced in the results of a yoga practice such as: stress reduction, increased energy and awareness, increased flexibility, focused mind and strong body. In our modern world there are so many types of yoga to choose from that it can be confusing and difficult to start a yoga program. Do you have to practice postures(asanas) in a hot room for an hour and a half in order to enjoy the benefits of this ancient art? And, is it necessary to execute postures under strict guidelines created for East Indian bodies and minds? As a yoga instructor my answer would be no. A successful yoga practice supports the goals of the practitioner without rigidity.
Weight Loss During Holidays: What to Do With Leftovers?
April 25, 2008
If I Want to Lose Weight, What Can I Do With Leftovers?
Okay, tell me if you’ve ever done this: It’s Monday late afternoon. You decided yesterday that starting today you were going to 1) eat right, and 2) start to get regular exercise, and 3) give up all your bad habits. So, you’re picking things up around the house and starting to notice all the little bits and pieces of leftovers from the past weekend. You see the cookies here and small bits of candy there. Today in my house I noticed three individually wrapped, large shortbread cookies with icing (my favorites), several bags of candy that looks just like real rocks (in a decorative jar–it’s for show, really, it is) and the leftovers from the latest family gathering, which in this case is about five pounds of fruit salad — not bad in itself, but I can only eat so much fruit salad.
And Then There’s the Wine
Of course, I had to buy some wine at a tasting on Saturday (I always buy it, don’t know why I think those wine tasting’s are such a great deal — they always entice me to buy), and now there’s an open bottle waiting.
Are You Still Standing Toe to Toe?
April 24, 2008
How many times do you practice techniques with your training partner and you stay in the same spot? Next time you are training, see how much you and your partner move. You will find you move very little or not at all. You see, when you are training, or doing ANYTHING for that matter, you always try to seek the path of least resistance. This is natural and can be viewed as a good thing (more on that later). Because you concentrate on the repetitions and the minutia of the detail, how hard we are hitting, what we look like, you are forgetting the big picture. And its easier to stand in the same spot. I am constantly reminding my guys- MOVE FORWARD!
If you don’t, you are neglecting a fundamental truth in the world of combat. I don’t care if your boxing, wrestling, playing football or engaging in combat- one thing is ALWAYS TRUE. Those who are winning are ALWAYS TAKING GROUND. Every time I look at a techniques demonstrated it is always two guys standing there with one guy doing the move and the other guy standing there. This is good for demonstrations sake, but when you drill it you do it with movement. One of the mistakes I see Judo Players, Karate Practitioners and Wrestlers make is that they practice technique without any movement. Do you actually fight like that- NO. When you fight, you are constantly moving and adjusting. When you fight for real you are always moving forward. If you are moving backwards- you are loosing. But don’t worry, it will be over soon.
Entertaining Without Stress
April 24, 2008
Let’s face it. If you are stressed, agitated and flitting about, your guests will be uncomfortable and won’t be able to relax. Here is an easy test of how well you are doing. How many times do your guests ask if there is anything they can do to help? It is reasonable that guests may ask when they first arrive but if you hear the question over and over again, you are doing something wrong.
Wealth Building and Success - Here’s Your First Step!
April 23, 2008
Wealth Building and Success - Here’s Your First Step!
by: Jason Oman
If you want to be more successful in any area of your life, and especially if you’re into wealth building, then there is one single step you MUST take before anything else.
Nothing can affect any kind of positive change on your
success or wealth building journey until and unless
this step is taken first.
Recently I came across the best written example
I’ve ever seen that emphasizes the importance
of this crucial concept.
I don’t know who originally wrote it, but I found it in a
great book called ‘The PowerMind System’.
It’s a poem called, “It’s Your Fault”:
If you hate your job and you DECIDE to stay there,
it’s your fault.
If someone offers you a better job, but it requires
you to move to another city, it’s your fault.
If you DECIDE to save no money during your working
lifetime, winding up broke and embarrassed at age 65,
dependent on charities for survival, it’s your fault.
