The things I see in downward dog

For those of you wondering downward dog is a yoga stretch. You place your hands on the floor in front of you and lift your butt up in the air. Legs and arms are straight. Your feet stay on the floor. You look like an inverted V. You can flex you feet to get a nice calf stretch. Don’t worry about the dust bunnies under the couch you can get them later or that you need a pedicure. Downward dog is best in bare feet. Oh and breathe.At first I though down dog was odd and felt funny doing it. I finally got comfortable with it over time. Since the weather is nicer and I am working out in shorts as opposed to longer yoga type pants I have noticed something. I have new muscles in my legs ! They were always there but now they are out and looking good. My calfs, or is it calves in this case, have definition that I have never seen before in my life. What an excellent discovery. I have tone in places I didn’t know could have been toned. My quad right above my knee has pretty bulges, for lack of a better description. All the hard work is worth it when you see things happening to your body. Muscles are getting stronger. I feel terrific. Downward dog, try it. What do you see ?

Ty, Tony and Buddy

One is a baker, one a carpenter, the other a fitness trainer. They all have one thing in common, passion. Passion can be described in different ways. I think the nuts and bolts of passion is an intense desire. It’s the thing that motivates a person and nothing gets in the way. It doesn’t become a way of life, it is the way of life. When you believe in something so much that you have to ‘be’ it every day that is passion. These guys all share what their passion is with others. It is not something that you keep to yourself, its part of you that needs to be known. Some things cannot be contained. To be fortunate enough to have a passion in life is a true blessing.To make money at something you enjoy is a dream to many. The baker, the builder and the fitness trainer all have the pleasure of making money at what drives them every day. I bet that not one of them considers their job a ‘job’. By that I mean, having to be somewhere they don’t want to, to make money to pay the bills. 5:00 Friday is not on their radar. Imagine getting out of bed and doing what you love and making money. Man that has to feel great. Buddy’s cakes are nothing short of art. Some of them are engineering marvels. If you saw the episode of Cake Boss where they make an actual size NASCAR cake you know the man is passionate about his craft. Ty is not just the host of Extreme Home Makeover he is the heart of getting things done for people in need. Anyone else could host this show and it wouldn’t have the stuff that Ty brings. Ty has an understanding and compassion. He approaches his job using all his talents and passion. Tony, well Tony is an entity unto himself. If you watch a P90x disc and not want to get off the sofa and do your best, then you must watch another. You will want to ‘bring it’.The man is passionate about sharing his knowledge and love of living healthy. Fitness is his calling and we should give him a listen. Some have the gift and we should learn all we can from these people. Ty, Tony and Buddy all have found their passion in life. Perhaps they have more,yet to be discovered. Will we all find passion ? I don’t know. Are we all suppose too? Why not. I became a Beachbody Coach because I want to share what I have learned with others. My life has improved significantly and I want others to have the same. The planet would be a nicer place to live on if everyone took time to find their passion. Passion is love, determination, commitment, desire, motivation and that something that gets you out of bed and makes you want to take on the day. When you take the time to change your quality of life, life becomes a beautiful thing.

Bridal Show

Last night I was at a bridal show. No, I am not getting married. I already am married. I was there selling beachbody products. My company, bodybasicsct.com was there, representing health and fitness to the people. My upline coach Annie was there to help me out. I can not say enough about how helpful she is to me. I hope someday I am just as helpful to my coaches, well when I get some. Want to make 25% on beachbody products ? contact me..... back to the bridal show. It was held at an old manor style house. All us vendors were set up outside in lovely tents. Those things are huge. The manor has a garden setting and must be gorgeous when all the flowers are in bloom. I spoke to quite a few brides. Men and women alike want to look great for their wedding day. After all those photos will be around forever. Many people have heard of P90X or insanity. They have seen the infomercials on tv. Others know someone who is doing one of the programs. Spreading the word about Shakeology was key. Love that stuff ! I am still quite surprised when I speak with people who have never head of beachbody. They need to get up early and watch some tv. People like to talk about getting healthy and are geniunely interested in what beachbody has to offer. Like I told so many last night, they have something for every fitness level and interest. You don't have to be buff to start a program. You just need the desire to do it. Push play every day. I gave samples of P90X Recovery drink. It is so good after a workout, tastes like an orange creamsicle. I met some very nice folks and I hope to become their coach. I am looking forward to teh next bridal show. If you are interested in attending go to http://www.weddingsteps.com/ for upcoming dates and info. And thanks to Wedding Steps for a great show.

oh yum, cheesecake

Life seems to have it share of ups and downs lately. My grandmother passed away and her funeral was this past week. Everything has been an emotional blur. I am not going into details, it will just make me cry. After a few days of mourning, will it ever end, I need to get back in the swing of things.
When someone dies we often bring food to the family. We make a simple meal or something full of sugar. It is an accepted practice in our society. Take the burden off preparing meals for the family and give them some comfort food. We all feel better, the giver and the receiver of the food. The giver is nuturing the family in sorrow. Food, everyone needs it. We cry and laugh over it.
After the funeral there was a family lunch. My cousin Patty and I decided we should start with the cheesecake. Yes, cheesecake has healing properties, especially when eaten with others. In sad times we often turn to food for comfort. I come from an Italian family, need I say more ? Did I feel guilty eating the cheesecake ? Surprisingly the answer is no. It felt good to splurge for a day. The thing is not to make it a habit. We all need to come to grips with the fact that we will on occassion eat 'bad' foods. We don't need to beat ourselves up over it. The next day get back on track, just do not eat the bad foods every day. This is easier said than done for many. Its can be a struggle to stay on track. It makes me happy to realise that good clean eating is now my way of life. No soda, no coffee, most white foods , etc. I feel better, so much now than ever before. The cheescake wasn't that evil after all. Go back to consistantly eating that way , every day, and ugh ! feeling like crap will be the norm. Who needs that ?
I don't know when I will eat cheesecake again. I am sure when ever I do consider it I will think of me and my cousin Patty giggling because we ate it before our actual meal. We were like kids sneaking a cookie from the cookie jar. Food brings us together. The good and the bad.