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.

Shakeology

I'm back! I had a paper cut on a fingertip turn into a nightmare. Not able to type well but I could not stay away. So my thoughts are on Shakeology today. Sadly I will be out before my next shipment. This makes me very unhappy but I gave away a few packets as samples. Fingers crossed that those people take the plunge and buy some so they can experience the wonders of this tasty concoction.
I was really skeptical about what this stuff was going to taste like. I thought it was going to be horrible like SlimFast you buy at the grocery store. I thought I would hate it and be stuck with a box. I was pleasantly surprised.
I ordered chocolate. I opened the packet and was greated with a chocolately aroma. Okay this might not be so bad. I added crushed ice and half water and half milk. Turned my motor boat, hand held mixer, on and gave it a good long blend. It smelled wonderful. I poured it in a glass and took a sip. Whammo ! I was sold. This was damn good. I couldnt wait to try different 'recipes'. Mmmm !
I finally bought some greenberry. Not my fav. I like to add a lot of fruit. Peaches, blueberries, strawberries and juices in various combinations. I found my favorite green berry recipe. It tastses like a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich. Here it is, 1 pack of greenberry, grape juice, strawberries and peanut butter. Blend !!! and enjoy.

P90X

I figured I should write something about my P90X experience. The good, the bad and the ugly. Well the ugly part is when I am all done and my hair is a mess, I stink to high heaven and sweat is dripping off me. Literally peeling off your sports bra is liberating. That's the ugly part of fitness people. If you are doing it right you aren't pretty when you are done.
The good of P90X, hmm. First I will list Kenpo. Love the Kenpo. It's the whole thought of hitting someone with knuckles and ball kicks that is attractive. No I am not a violent person, I like the whole 'make love not war' ideology. It is empowering to know that you could possibly defend yourself. Kenpo seems to be a fan favorite, so I am not alone.
Second I would say Core Synergistic. I have seen the most change in my core than anywhere else. It gets my vote. I am not crazy about doing all the moves, well because I still find some difficult. I have made progress, so I pat myself on the back. Superman-Banana is fun. Still cant grab both ankles at the same time in bow. Someday. I curse through Chatarunga runs. Dreya rolls are out of the question. I have degenerative discs in my neck and those rolls scare me. I don't try crane in Yoga either for the same reason.
Third fav, Plyo. I modify moves because of my neck issues. I find this the best exercise for getting the heart rate up. Its a good kick your butt work out. When you want to really move do Plyometrics. I love the flying Heisman's, not sure why I just do.
So that is a super quick over view of my favorite things about P90X.
My least favorites are........ the chest, arms, triceps,back discs, etc. all of those. I keep at them though, never say die. I modify some moves here again. Somehow I still can end up in pain, not aches, pain. Not to fear, my Chiropractor takes care of me. If you need something to rub on sore muscles I recommend what I call affectionately- green goup aka: BioFreeze. It feels so good when you rub it on your sore spots. Ah relief.
What are your favorites and not so favorite exercises of P90X ?

Visiting childhood

I am so lucky that I get to coach U6 soccer. After a practice or a game I feel happy. The kids have that effect on you. Even my son, who pushes his limits, makes me feel renewed somehow. Hang out with 5 and 6 year old and look at the game through their eyes. They just want to have fun. Simple, old fashioned fun in the sun. I try to make all the lessons a game. This way they have fun while learning, they probably don't even know they are learning. It really doesn't matter.
Watch the way a child runs onto the field. They have a big grin, they are using their whole bodies. They jump, spin, bounce, wave arms, hop and use other movements to express their excitement. We as adults have learned to contain and control ourselves. Watch an adult run on to a field. You will probably see an expressionless face, no hop, no bounce, no huge grin. We would look silly if we did that. Guess what, I can do all that stuff ! I am the coach and that gives me a chance to act like a kid. I can get on the ground and roll around, I can flap my arms like a bird, I can giggle and make silly faces. I can be the adult and act like a kid and no one thinks that is odd. I can run and skip and sing silly soccer songs. I am moving my body in ways that are not typical of the average adult. I feel young and happy. Its mental as well as physical.
Ever wonder why kids are so flexible. It's because they move this way and that way, they stretch and balance. They are doing static and ballistic movements frequently. I have seen kids stand on one leg and balance, just to do it. The kids will have a contest of who can do the most hops. Some have certaintly found their inner Tigger.
How many times have you heard an adult say "where do the children get all this energy?" My theory is that they enjoy moving their bodies. We need to enjoy moving ours as well. If going to the gym and getting on a treadmill is something you dread, you need to find some other form of exercising. If it feels like work to go for a run, find something else. Or you can try something new. Ask yourself, "how would a child approach this". Try that just once and I bet you will find yourself smiling.
My point is to move and exercise in a way that evokes your 'inner child'. Wake up the kid in yourself. Just once, try it.