“We write to taste life twice, once in the moment and once in retrospection.” Anais Nin
Journaling is my thing. I started journaling when I seriously started working out, about six years ago. Initially, it was for tracking purposes only; Wednesday I do cardio, Thursday I do upper body, Friday I do lower body, etc. Then I realized how beneficial it was to record my meals. When you start keeping track of your caloric intake, it gives you a huge look inside yourself. When your skin is starting to look bad, you can look back and see what’s going on in your life. Are you eating too much junk food? Too many glasses of champagne? The answers are all right there, you just have to find them.
My journaling went one step further. It started innocently enough, just notating if I had a headache that day, noting any blemishes or anything strange happening. Not only did I get to know my body really well, I got to know my own mind better.
Why did I always seem to be super moody one day a month and very weepy? Why do I get a blemish about every third or fourth month right in the same place? Why did I feel like I could eat like an animal some days, while other days I’d barely take any calories in and felt great? Why was the libido through the roof on some days of the month? Well, the short answer is hormones. But I was never able to understand why my body was doing what it was until I started tracking it in my journal. It turns out, those problems happened the same day, month after month. It’s sort of like a science experiment. Guess, test, and revise.
You can also go one step further and write your feelings down. It’s really cool to reflect on old postings and say to yourself, this is where I was, then. This is what was happening in my life, good or bad, and this is how I dealt with it. As if it’s a guide saying, this is what worked in the past for me….this is what didn’t.
Journaling is definitely one of those things that you don’t “get” until you try it. It’s a huge gift to have that sort of insight, to reflect on yourself. Try to wrap your brain around it and get started. You’ll love it once you get going.
There are online journals, such as www.LiveJournal.com. I generally prefer to type over handwriting, but in this instance, I like writing things down. It just feels more cathartic somehow. I can appreciate a beautiful journal. I adore beautiful books and journals, and it’s always the perfect gift for me.
Check out the journal section next time you are at the bookstore and purchase your favorite one. Get into journaling. It’s like a window, looking inside yourself. It’s an easy and powerful way to accelerate your personal development.
This is one of my favorite yoga stretches, albeit, one of the hardest stretches. It’s an amazing hip opener. If you are a woman, you should be able to bend down further than the man in this video. We are just programed to be more flexible than men, so go down as far as you can…and breathe into it. Just when you feel like you can’t take it another second, take a deep breath and breathe again. Try to stay in the pose for a full 30 seconds. The more you breathe, the more you’ll feel your hips relax.
Not an aerobics fan? Consider this: Aerobic exercise not only burns calories, but also curbs cravings. Researchers at the University of Chile Clinical Hospital reported that people who ran or biked for 20 minutes three times per week for 10 weeks had reduced appetites due to increased levels of neurotrophic factor (a protein in the brain that may suppress hunger) from the workout sessions compared with when they were sedentary. Rev up your cardio routine and rein in your snack attacks.
One in 10 gymgoers checks her cell phone while exercising, hindering fitness focus and stress relief according to a survey by Standard Life Healtcare. Leave the Blackberry in your locker or car …out of sight, out of mind.
Watching incredible mind/body/spirit transformations are an excellent motivation to invisioning your own mind/body/spirit transformation. It’s a practice one should seek regularly.
If you zoom through your repetitions when strength training, you’ll be using momentum instead of muscle power. You won’t get the same stimulus for muscle building, and you won’t burn as many calories. You’ll also be more susceptible to training injuries such as torn muscles.
Take 6 seconds to perform each repetition: 2 seconds to lift the weight and 4 seconds to lower it. Experts agree that slowing down is the single most significant change you can make to get better results from strength training.
“Women should never use more than 2 or 3 pound weighs because it bulks you up too much.” Tracy Anderson (fitness trainer to Madonna) on the use of weights in the gym.
(ed. note): It appears that 2-3 pound weights do a good job at bulking you up as well. Exhibit A: Madonna’s arms.
Do we like, or is this too bulky? You make the call.
Yoga Journal has announced today that they will be having their 7th annual Yoga conference in San Francisco January 28-February 1, 2010. It will be five days, with more than 40 teachers, and 100 different classes offered. Classes are for beginners to advanced yogis. For more information and details, check their website here.
What I’m loving now: Gilad’s Express Workouts. Gilad gives you 15 express workouts that are under 10 minutes each. He gives you fat burning cardio workouts, calorie burning strength workouts, core workouts, and sculpting workouts that target every muscle group in your body. Now you can customize your results by focusing on the body parts you need to work on the most. Complete workout charts are available on Gilad’s website for download. Gilad is the host and producer of the award-winning fitness shows Bodies in Motion and Total Body Sculpt and has been voted FitTV’s fitness instructor of the year 4 years in a row. In 2007, he was inducted into the national Fitness Hall of Fame (a well-deserved title.)
I’ve been working out with Gilad since 1989 and always count on him to wear me out during every workout. He’s tough, but keeps you motivated every step of the way…not to mention, the boy is extremely easy on the eyes. Check your library to see if they carry this DVD and try it for yourself. Your body will look better because of it!
