I always say “Information is power, what you don’t know can hurt you. Be “in the know” and follow my motivational tips to success!
Kindness can improve your fitness…
in a mind-body way.
As a fitness professional and a yoga instructor, I am very aware that positive energy is big part of getting into shape and staying in shape. Acts of kindness create positive energy and self esteem. Sharing kindness with yourself and others can make you feel better instantly and these kinds of feelings can in turn inspire you to take better care of yourself…hence the concept of kindness improving our fitness. We all know that when you are feeling positive and happy, it is much easier to fit that workout in and eat healthy. But dragging yourself to the gym on those days when everything seems to be going wrong and you feel terrible is a whole different story!
I challenge you to reflect on how kind you are this week. Try this exercise: keep a list of all the compliments you hand out and all the criticisms you give this week (include everyone you come into contact with—your children, your spouse, a store clerk, the receptionist at the gym, your colleague, your mother, etc. etc,) At the end of the week, ask yourself on which side of the spectrum do your actions fall—are they more positive or more negative? Another interesting exercise is to take a good look at how kind you are to yourself. We live in a society quick to judge and so many of us fill our minds with a running negative self-talk. Try keeping a tally of all the negative things you think about yourself in a day. You will start to become more aware of when you start to be unkind to yourself.
Kindness is such a crucial aspect of feeling good and over the years I have come to realize that a great way to motivate people (including ourselves) is to compliment them. Now there is a big difference between a “fake” complement and genuine kindness. You usually can tell when someone is just patronizing you or outright lying. But when someone gives a compliment from the heart and even better delivers it with a smile – it makes you feel great. I make a conscious effort to hand out compliments all day long to my students in class and my clients. I compliment their good form, their effort, their cute workout outfit. I let them know if I see improvement in their skills and in their shape. I tell them I am proud of them when they reach a new goal or master a new exercise. I mean all of these complements and I am happy to share my thoughts out loud!
And kindness is a two way street. I make them feel good and it makes me feel good because I know I’m helping them. I recently had the experience after one of my classes with a student who came up and told me I was making a difference in her life. She told me how she looks forward to coming to my class each week and that when she leaves my class she feels great physically and mentally. My instruction was giving her a good workout and my compliments were making her feel self confident and accomplished.
So as we all give thanks for this past year and look to a new year, make a resolution to hand out a few more compliments. Attitude is a choice, as is getting in shape, and not always an easy one! Diana Ross said it best “Reach out and touch somebody’s hand, make this a better world if you can!” Let’s start passing on some positive energy! I look forward to sharing thoughts of kindness and healthy living with you in 2007!
Words of Wisdom
Chris Freytag's thoughts on health and fitness:
"Your body and talents are God's gift to you, what you do with it is your gift to God!"
"Health and Fitness is a journey, there is no destination!"
"If you're not going to do this now, then what are you going to do to take control of your health?"
"Food is not your enemy, lack of activity is!"
"The best diet is moderation! Who do you know that got fat from eating carrots"
"Americans believe in the bigger is better philosophy, whatever happened to good things come in small packages?"
"Fitness is like road construction, you will hit rough spots but you just keep moving!"
"Work smarter, not longer!"
"Success is not how fast you rise, success is how fast you bounce back when you hit bottom."
"Luck just doesn't happen — luck is preparation meeting opportunity!"
Words of Wisdom from others
On Success
"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out..." ~ Robert J. Collier (1876-1918), writer, author
"The definition of success:To laugh much; to win respect of intelligent persons and the affections of children; to earn the approbation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give one's self; to leave the world a little better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm, and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived—this is to have succeeded."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-82), American philosopher, poet
"Success is dependent upon the glands—sweat glands."
~ Zig Ziglar
"You can't win the raffle if you don't buy the ticket."
~
Ally McBeal
Play like you're in first, but train like you're in second."
~ Unknown
"It's not where you're from; it's where you're going. It's not what you drive; it's what drives you. It's not what's on you; it's what's in you. It's not what you think; it's what you know."
~ Gatorade commercial
"If you haven't got the time to do it right, when will you find the time to do it over?"
~ Jeffrey Mayer
"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
"We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails."
~ Unknown
"To dream anything you want to—
That is the beauty of the human mind.
To do anything you want to—
That is the strength of the human will.
To trust yourself, to test the limits—
That is the courage to succeed."
~ Lindsey Smith
On Motivation and Inspiration
"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it."
~ Lou Holtz, Univ. Arkansas football coach
"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going."
~ Jim Ryan
"Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong."
~ Ella Fitzgerald
On the road to life there are many paths... some twist, some turn, some dip, some curve. As long as you keep your focus, your
destination is obtainable."
~ Brenda Good
It doesn't matter what you've been through, where you come from...none of that matters. What matters is how you choose to love, how you choose to express that love through your work, through your family, through what you have to give to the world...
~ Oprah Winfrey
"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, gift, or skill. It will make or break a company...a church...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the string we have, and that is our attitude. I am
convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes."
~ Charles Swindoll
Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."
~ Mark Twain
Whether you think you can or think you can't — you are right."
~ Henry Ford
On Health and Happiness
"Happiness depends upon ourselves."
~ Aristotle (384-322 BC), Greek Philosopher
"Everyday happiness means getting up in the morning, and you can't wait to finish your breakfast. You can't wait to do your exercises. You can't wait to put on your clothes. You can't wait to get out — and you can't wait to come home, because the soup is hot."
~ George Burns (1896-1996), American actor, comedian
"Remember happiness doesn't depend on who you are or what you have; it depends solely upon what you think."
~ Dale Carnegie (1888-1955), philanthropist, educator
"A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools."
~ Spanish Proverb
"He who has health has hope; and he who has hope, has everything."
~ Arabian Proverb
If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded."
~ Maya Angelou (b. 1928), African-American author, poet laureate, performer, composer
"To keep the body in good health is a duty. . . otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear."
~ Buddha (563?-483? BC), [Siddhartha Gautama] Indian mystic, founder of Buddhism
A friend is somebody you want to be around when you feel like being by yourself."
~ Barbara Burrow
"Smile at each other, smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other—it doesn't matter who it is— and that will help you to grow up in greater love for each other."
~ Mother Teresa - Catholic Nun, Missionary, Nobel Peace Prize Recipient
Never look down on anybody unless you're helping them up.
~ The Reverend Jesse Jackson American Civil Rights Leader
No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.
~ Aesop - Greek Fable Writer
From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life.
~ Arthur Ashe - American Tennis Player, Activist
10 Numbers That Count
0 is the number of cigarettes you should smoke. After your first smoke-free year, you cut your risk for heart disease is cut in half!
1 gram per 2 pounds of body weight per day is how much protein you should be eating if you are moderately to very physically active.
6 mini meals per day is a great way to stay fueled, maintain portion control, and keep your body running efficiently.
10 minutes is all you need to benefit from a workout if you are just getting started. Every little effort counts. When you’re just beginning, consistency is more important than intensity.
30 minutes of daily exercise, if you can find the time, puts you in line with the most recent government recommendations to help reduce your risk for many diseases.
60 days is how long it takes to form a habit. Move your body for 60 days in a row and you’re on your way to a permanent lifestyle change!
120/80 is the highest healthy blood pressure. Check your blood pressure regularly. Maintain healthy blood pressure by eating foods rich in calcium, potassium, and magnesium.
200 is the upper limit for healthy cholesterol. To keep your cholesterol at a healthy minimum, exercise and increase your intake of fruits and vegetables.
3,500 is the number of calories in one pound. Losing one pound means creating a deficit of 3,500 calories. This cannot be done in a day, no matter what the advertisements for crash diets imply. Do it gradually and you’re doing it right: cut back 500 calories a day for one week to lose a pound.
21,000 breaths a day. That’s approximately how many breaths it takes to sustain life.
Busy vs. Active
Try this exercise: list the top 10 ways you currently spend your time (number one being the most important thing you do each day). Now list the top ten ways you waste time each day. Include things like waiting in store lines, holding on the phone, sitting in traffic, waiting for clients, watching TV, reading the junk mail, etc. Beside each entry, state how much time gets spent, and add up an average daily total.
List #1 tells you how you spend your day. List #2 tells you how you waste your time each day.
Take a look at your life and find ways to be active instead of just “wasting time”. Get on the treadmill while paging through your latest fashion magazine. Do exercises on the ball while watching TV. If family time is on your list of how you spend time each day, get active together. After work, exercise with your family, whether at home, at the gym or outdoors.
The truth is, time management is a job and you have to take ownership of your health. It’s all a matter of getting motivated. (We usually find time to deposit our paychecks, fill our gas tank, wait in the fast food drive thru, etc). Planning your time more wisely can free up times in other parts of the day. For example, eat at your desk and pay bills or make a grocery list. While waiting in a doctor’s office or in the airport, take care of paperwork. You can actually save enough time each day so you will have time to exercise or do something active and fun!
It boils down to “How much do you care?” I hear it everyday: “I’m just too busy to exercise.” Make your health your priority and get rid of the little time-wasting things that bog your days down. Getting into better shape doesn’t happen by accident – it’s up to you! Take a look at your lifestyle – are you “active” or just “busy” doing things that don’t matter?
