Most of my fit pro colleagues have retired. Almost everyone I started teaching with in the fitness world is long gone from teaching and training people. Some of them are still in the industry, but have acquired more behind-the-scenes/ corporation administrative jobs. The way I see it, there are three main reasons for this: 1. they make more money doing other things and that’s a priority. 2. they don’t want such a physical job anymore and found another passion. 3. Their...
Thank you for your patience this past weekend as we struggled with some tech issues. The site is up and running smoothly now and all is well, but whoa, that was stressful – iPhones and Let’s Move! are compatible again! Speaking of stress, we’re heading into big holiday season, where life can move fast, be extra busy, and put us in uncomfortable social situations. Lots of people (including me) have “fallen off the fitness wagon” mid-November, in year’s past, because...
There is a powerful but secret thing that: 1. never goes out of style, 2. instantly up-levels one’s appearance, 3. helps energy flow, 4. promotes better breathing, 5. is always underestimated, 6. money can’t buy, yet 7. all of the great beauties of the world have it. What is it? Good posture…that’s organic. Good posture is proper body alignment where a nice and clean plumb line runs down from the crown of the head, through the middle...
One thing that I do, that may seem benign but is actually quite powerful, is I hunt for heroes. Heroes are any person or creature I admire and who inspires me. Yesterday, I met a woman with the most well-behaved German Shepherd dog. Her self-assuredness stopped me in my tracks, and her super cool dog reflected her strong energetic leadership. And when I read the Harry Potter books many moons ago, I remember thinking, “OMG, JK Rowling is a once-in-a-lifetime creative…and...
The British government, during World War II, created a poster that read KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON. It was intended to boost the morale of the British citizens and was widely distributed via newspapers back in the day. We still come across this saying today on throw pillows and memes, and often times, the traditional saying is altered a tad to things like, “Keep Calm and Buy the Bag” or “Keep Calm and Call Your Mother.” It’s fun...
“Feel good, look great, shine bright” is a phrase I casually started spewing in classes long ago as a way of pumping people up. It organically arose, and I’ve since repeated it again and again. In fact, “feel good, look great, shine bright” is prominently featured on my website and has become my unofficial, three-step formula for empowered wellness…albeit, a bit vague. Step one, feel good so energy flows and any type of action is a delight. Step two, look great….who doesn’t...
A favorite word of mine, one that I’ve been taking a liberty with and applying to movement, is adaptogenic. It’s a word often associated with herbal medicine, specifically when an herb does whatever is need in order to create harmony in the body. Licorice root for example, can either increase energy levels in the body, providing a bit of pep, or it can lower cortisol levels, helping it calm down. To me, “adaptogenic” means do what’s needed in order to maintain a feel good state....
Some days are harder than others to get moving in the morning as there are a myriad of variables when it comes to the state of our bodies. Amount of sleep, state of hydration, levels of stress, what we did yesterday, what we didn’t do yesterday…they all factor in. I find the seasons, the weather, even my location on the planet affects how my body feels and functions. Here’s my three-part protocol for when I’m feeling...
You may or may not recall a movie, from the nineties, called The Fifth Element. It starred Milla Jovovich, and it held the premise that there are the usual four elements – fire, water, earth, and air – along with an additional element, the ultimate one. The four elements are the “brick and mortar” of life, but the fifth element powers it. So what actually is the fifth element? Well, in the futuristic movie, it was “Aether, a pure substance that permeated...
“Where the eyes go, the body follows” is an old adage that was drilled into my psyche long ago. “Look up, go up” is another one. I heard them over and over again in yoga classes, and now I say them in my own classes because of their simplistic truth – where you are literally and figuratively placing your attention is the direction you’re heading in. A deeper thought still….have you noticed how, when...
