A Season for Everything

My Jimmy is in getting fit mode! I love it when he gets like this. It is so motivating when we are both striving for health. He started with a determination to do P90X. I love P90X. It is an awesome program... but it is a big chunk of your day! I finally had to say something, "Are you sure this is the best program for you right now?" He works anywhere from 10-13 hours a day, our kids are both in sports right now, we have church responsibilities. Overall, we have quite a bit to occupy our time. His first response was, "YES!" to which I said, "Ok, dear, go for it!" After a few days, though,  he saw the light. He still exercises every day and some days still an hour or more, but some days he has to cut it to a quicker workout. I love P90X and there is a season for everything and everybody, but I also love that I can feel a good workout in a short amount of time. My friends recently introduced me to this great 30 day gem. I completed day 10 today and I am loving it! My muscles are feeling it for sure. If I have more time, I take the dog out for a jog or get in a good yoga session as well. She's a little crazy but I love some energy in my instructor. ;)  Have fun!

click here ---> Make Fat Cry Challenge

Exercising at home and changing the world!

I've been studying the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I love Stephen R. Covey and his ideas. This book is golden. The last habit, "Sharpen the Saw," is about keeping yourself "sharp" and taking time to care for yourself mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and-you guessed it-physically. Listen to this little gem I read yesterday:

Most of us think we don't have enough time to exercise. What a distorted paradigm! We don't have time not to. We're talking about three to six hours a week-or a minimum of thirty minutes a day, every other day. That hardly seems an inordinate amount of time considering the tremendous benefits in terms of the impact on the other 162-165 hours of the week.

Perfect! Right? And I actually think I felt gleeful as I read this, "And you don't need any special equipment to do it.... A good exercise program is one that you can do in your own home." !!!! I'm pretty sure if Mr. Covey says it then I'm on the right track here. Going to the gym or spa or enjoying a sport is nice and "an added opportunity," but "a good exercise program is one that you can do in your own home." Yes, I really did need to say it twice. :)

I have so much on my mind right now. There is so much we can do. Starting a regular exercise routine was eye opening and life changing for me, but it was one act that meant more than just exercise. It meant making better choices, learning new things, and realizing that we are not stuck where we are.

Yesterday I was listening to a talk whose subject was, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." The question was posed, "What changes would you like to see in the world and are you being that change?" I have felt I need to "be the change" often but I have never thought about exactly what that change is. I thought of this blog and wondered why I started it. I wanted to make some kind of change. I wanted to help others feel a change in themselves like the one I felt in myself. I reflected on that question yesterday and today and I suspect I'll still be thinking on it for a while, but here is my answer for now. The change I want to see in the world: I want people to stop making excuses. I want people to recognize their own divinity and ability to create and do and be more. I want there to be a lot less negativity in the world, in the form of self-talk as well as conversation to and about others. Am I being the change? I'm working on it and every time I do I become stronger and more capable of helping others and... changing the world.

What change do you wish to see in the world and what are you doing about it?

On THAT note. Let's get to it! The last couple of days for me have included  running (and walking a lot) with my dog, which is quite hilarious as he's not sure what to do when I'm "running." He's either behind me at a slow trot or running and literally dragging me along. I've also enjoyed tabata with my tabata app. Today I switched between jumping jacks and mountain climbers. And I've done some yoga. Here are some videos for you to try. In one of them she does some crazy inversions, just do what you can and enjoy! :)

Kettlebell love

You may know I love my 20 minute work outs. That's all I had time for this morning and my kettlebells were collecting dust so I decided it was time to pick them up. If you don't have kettlebells go get a set! They are great for the all important STRENGTH TRAININlG and they are a good way to mix it up so you don't get bored. I love mine and I love FitnessBlender and I love this short but effective workout which includes strength training and cardio.

Recovery from surgery is going well! I can still feel it in my stomach which is a strange feeling-hard to describe. I'm working hard, though, trying to get back into a routine and being careful when I need to. Many days I can feel several muscles in my body crying out to me, but it's a happy cry. ;)

Ahhhh, exercising again.

Yesterday I rocked my Yoga Booty Ballet: Hip Hop Abs video. The first exercise - other than walking and a few lame attempts at yoga - I've done in 6 weeks and 3 days. Recovery from a hysterectomy is long. Not bad. Not too painful. Just looong. I'm still not fully recovered but my doctor gave me the ok with the admonishment, "Don't go too crazy," so I am ready and very excited to get back to work! I was smiling and happy all the way through the routine. :)

So I don't have any new exercise ideas for you right now (other than go do it!), but I do have some valuable tidbits from Robyn Openshaw's (The Green Smoothie Girl's) 12 Steps to Whole Foods Course Manual. After my surgery I did pretty good with my healthy eating, but as time went on my sugar intake increased and I'm reminded again how much better I feel when I am taking in good foods. For me, exercise and healthy eating go really well together. One always makes me feel like doing the other. This excerpt I'm about to share once made me stop eating sugar for a whole summer, which is saying a lot for me because I have a sweet tooth for sure. Really I'm posting this as a reminder to myself, but I believe everyone should have this information!! These are only 10 of the 30 reasons listed in the Course Manual. If you want more information, ask me! Click HERE to order the course and peruse around to find more great stuff.

Why should you stop eating sugar now? Because sugar....

1. Is more addictive than cocaine.
2. Makes you fat.
3. Ages you perhaps more than anything else, decreasing tissue elasticity.
4. Makes you tired.
5. Controls your behavior, making you moody or anxious.
6. Destabilizes your blood sugar, notably causing energy crashes.
7. Feeds cancer cells.
8. Increases your risk of Crohn's disease and colitis.
9. Makes you dizzy.
10. Causes deficiencies in copper, calcium, magnesium, chromium, and your overall mineral profile. 

Remember every healthy choice matters! If you make a choice you feel is wrong, just make sure your next one is better. You got this and so do I. (I need that encouragement too!) Have a happy day!

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Not really MIA and Yoga

I haven't been around here much lately and I'm sorry I haven't posted any ideas! I have been dealing on and off with some anemia and I had another little bout recently. I could tell it was happening because I could feel my muscles and body and stamina weaken. No fun when you enjoy pushing yourself! I decided with that and other things occupying my time (Christmas and all that entails..........) I would take a little break. I'm still in a routine. I do my "comfort" videos, the ones I know and love and feel nice and easy with. I've also had a chance to do a lot more yoga. Yay! I am finding joy in respecting my body and what it needs right now. I am listening and following inspiration. I might also be writing this for myself but it feels good to acknowledge that I can take care of my God given body and know what it needs. I don't have to listen to popular culture or the girl with the perfect figure. Yes, I can study and learn, but after that I can listen to me and feel happy with my choices.

Here's a great 30 day yoga camp for you to try. She is great but be warned that occasionally she puts in a "colorful" word :/.... just a heads up.

30 DAY YOGA CAMP

P.S. If you are a brand new yogi, you can watch her foundation videos first. A great place to start.
Foundations of Yoga - Yoga With Adriene

Here's another few!

I am a big believer that a lot of our achievement originates in our brain. What we think and how we think plays a big roll in our lives. Our words are powerful. If you think about it, what we say to ourselves is what we hear all day long! So be nice to yourself and remind yourself that you are strong and you can do this! He talks about using our brain in this 20 minute workout.

(FYI, he does use one swear word.)

This is a fun kickboxing one for you.

(No swear words. ;))

Confessions of a Yoga Lover

Today I heard my 5 year old daughter excitedly talking to a friend in the next room "That was a pose! Did you see that?!" Then she yelled in to me, "Mom! I held a pose for a long time! You can see it when you get in here!" And went back to teaching her (somewhat disinterested) friend how to do it. I went to find her, very curious to see what pose my sweet little yogi had just accomplished. I was surprised and quite impressed to see my baby teaching her friend how to do crow pose. That's right, crow pose. She might not have really been holding it, but she was pretty darn close.

Life lesson for October 8th: There are no yoga lessons at my house except a few that my kids specifically ask for, but I do do a lot of yoga here as you might have surmised. Really, truly, kids learn from watching their parents. We lead. We are examples. Whether we like it or not!