My new favorite you tube yogi

I've already posted some of SaraBeth's videos and I've found myself searching for her videos more often lately.  Great teacher. Great voice. Great method. This video is good for flexibility, strength, and balance....  All in 16 minutes!

 I also went for a good walk this morning with a good friend. Sometimes I forget how great getting outside when the weather is cooler and talking with friend can be for a workout. Seriously my Arizona friends, the weather actually is cooler in the mornings now. Get outside and watch the sunrise!

Namaste.

Laura :)

Let the fun begin!

School is starting soon! For a homeschooling mom like myself, that means.... "AAAAA!!!" Haha. Just kidding. But it does mean things are going to get even busier over here. As my kids are a top priority, my daily posts are going to have to drop to 'whenever I can' posts. Hopefully I've given you enough to work with and some ideas and you can put the label section in the side bar to good use.

Feel free to follow by email ------>>> so you can see new posts as they come. Per suggestions, I will try to find some more beginner ideas as well as some more nutrition ideas.

Here are some of my favorites that you could also try out!

Fitness Blenders 5 Day Workout for Busy People - I love these. They're each about 30 minutes and they're great for all levels. Daniel and Kelly are good at helping beginners modify. (Don't let the one funky move in the first one stop you from doing the rest.)

30 Days of Yoga with Adriene - Also fabulous. Good for all levels!

30 Day Yoga Challenge with Erin Motz - These are great too. I can't help that yoga's my favorite. I really think everyone should add it to your routine, whether running is your thing or walking or tennis or football or jazzersize. Yoga is for everyone!

You can also check out Blogilates - A blog about Pilates. My friend recently introduced me to it and I can't wait to check it out.

One more thing I want to encourage - Habit. Habit. Habit. I'm reading an excellent book, The Power of Full Engagement. In it the authors encourage developing positive rituals as a way to make positive changes. If adding exercise to your daily routine is something you are working towards, think of what rituals you will base your routine around. For Example: every day when you wake up; every Mon, Wed, Fri, & Sat; walking on Mon, Wed,  Fri & Strength on Tues/Thurs; right when the kids go to school; with kids; with husband; with friends. It might not even be very much to start. Whatever you decide, forget whether you want to do it! If you don't have a routine in place already, you probably won't want to do it. Make yourself do it when you say you will. (If you have little kids, then just do the best you can and don't stress when you have to cut your time in half because of a crying baby, the important thing is you started.) Eventually it will be a habit. You will feel funny without it, kind of like if you forget to brush your teeth. Also, don't compare yourself to anybody else!!!! You're not like anybody else. Just do what feels good to your body. Push yourself to work past your own comfort zone to build more capacity, but don't worry about anyone else. You've got this.

Laura :)

Nutrition on My Mind

I have been asked by a few people about nutrition. As I mentioned before, although exercise is amazing-important-needed, nutrition is the key that opens the door to better health. When we start putting better fuel in our body, that's when the magic happens.

The problem is most of us haven't grown up eating healthy whole foods and figuring out how can be frustrating (to say the least).

Remember... one step at a time! Any change you make should be one you're willing to make a lifestyle, but you don't have to figure it out all at once. When trying to figure out what is the good info in the deluge of info out there, listen to people you trust and people who are living a healthy lifestyle themselves and whose purpose is not self-serving, but to help others.

One great option I've found is green smoothies. This is a great and simple way to start putting the right stuff in your body. In fact you can increase your nutrition by 700% compared to the average American diet! I am a Green Smoothie Girl instructor, you can find more info and see what Green Smoothie Girl has to offer HERE .

And check out some of my friends who I consider my nutrition mentors HERE and HERE and HERE.

Now I was going to do a whole schpeel on sugar, but I think I'll save it for another day... Something to look forward too. ;)

Have a happy and productive week!
-Laura

Easy Starter Smoothie
1 Cup water or almond milk
Handful or two of spinach
1 Cup blueberries
1/2 Banana
1 Tbsp Ground Flax Seed
1 Scoop Protein Powder (I didn't add this ingredient until I found GSG protein powder, there aren't many others out there that I enjoy.)

If you just really need to sweeten it up try a small amount of orange juice (or I've heard Stevia or raw honey, though I've never tried them in a smoothie).

My Favorite Videos

It's not necessary to buy videos, but I do have some old standbys that I love and would recommend.

Yoga Booty Ballet - Silly name, I know, but for someone just starting out and/or needing something a little easier on the body these are fantastic. These are the ladies that made me fall in love with yoga. They introduce it in small doses. I don't love all of their videos, but the ones I do love include: Complete Body Shaping - GREAT for beginners and anyone who needs to take it easy. Love, love, love this one. You don't need shoes and lets face it, getting ready to workout is half the battle. I even started without any of the equipment they suggested.
Total Toning Basic - I still do this one a lot. It's fantastic. (I even have an extra one I will GIVE you if you want it, just for reading my blog.)
Hip Hop Abs - This one's really fun if you like to dance and I do, so I love it. (I also have an extra one of these to give away.)

Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred - She claims it's 20 minutes, but it's 25 and it is a great workout. There are 3 different ones on the DVD and great for someone that really wants to push themselves to do a harder workout.

P90x - I love these videos but they are too long! So only check these out if you have 1 1/2 hours a day to devote to exercise. You might want to find some used, too. Super pricey. He has an updated one that's only 30 minutes I've heard. I would love to try it out.

I hope you have a happy and healthy day!
-Laura

Groupon

I workout at home for several reasons, some being that I can't always afford a gym, I'm not super comfortable there, or it just takes more time and effort to get there. However sometimes it is nice to be with an instructor so they can help you with form and alignment (and also exercise with out kids running circles around me, ha! - most of the time I don't mind that though), so from time to time I take advantage of good deals. Some gyms will let you come for a few weeks for free to try it out or at least take a free class. If you're interested in trying something new (kickboxing, body strengthening, yoga...) this a great chance to learn from someone face to face and check in to be sure you're doing it right. ;) Groupon's a great place to get some good deals too. If you're in my area and want to try out some yoga, you can try this one.  I took my first class (of 5) today and it's already worth the $10.

-Laura :)

There's an app for that

I found this app on my i phone today.... 

FitStar Yoga. 

It appears that with the free app you can get a few free lessons a week. Not sure yet if I love it enough to purchase the premium package (that would give you unlimited lessons and additional features), but it might be something worth checking out. And

Tara Stiles 

is another one of my favorite Yogis. (She is the star of this yoga app.) 

I just found some of her classes you can purchase to download, too. Hmmm. I've only tried her you tube videos, but I would imagine these classes might be worth having. I'll let you know if I try any.

There's also a 

FitStar Personal Trainer 

app which I haven't tried yet, but probably will. 

And might I just add there are a TON of fitness apps you can explore if you prefer that route. Fitness Blender (whose videos I use a lot) has one you can search, plus there are all kinds of running apps that will tell you how far you've gone and fitness timers. You probably already knew this, but I just wanted to throw it out there in case you didn't. ;)