Yoga

Well today is Sunday and it's my usual yoga day and man I look forward to it all week! Sitting at a desk all day and tightening up from sitting and anxiety can really do a job on your body. I didn't realize until I started doing yoga how much you keep stress and anxiety on your hips and how much you grip because of sitting funny or just being tense. Today I did yoga with Rodney Yee and my fave vid of his Power Yoga Total Body. It hits every part of your body and you feel so stretched and relaxed when you're done! I can feel my body opening up and getting more flexible as the weeks go by which I love! Before I discovered yoga I didn't realize how much I let my flexibility slack and how tight I was getting. I saw how bad my posture was getting and how bad my back was starting to hurt. Man some mornings I would get up feeling like stiff as a board! My back would hurt so bad and I would be so stiff I knew something had to be done. I didn't get my first exposure to yoga until I started doing P90X and that changed my life! I had done it for ten months once a week which really improved my flexibility so much! For a while I had gotten away from yoga and man did I feel a difference! My hip flexors locked up, my low back began hurting again my hamstrings were another story. I couldn't touch my toes anymore! I know it sounds strange but I love feeling flexible and keeping up with your flexibility is good for your spine and for your body in general. Of course I was letting my back getting bad again and I was not liking this at all! I think I was falling under the false comfort of being young so I didn't have to think about it. With my body screaming at me I still tried to ignore it, how insane is that? My breaking point was when my husband and I were on a trip I could feel my hip flexors just tighten up so bad that when I would stand up it would hurt so bad! I couldn't ignore the impeding stiffness any longer and knew that I had to take action. I searched online for other yoga vids than Yoga X (nothing against the workout I just like variety) and I discovered Rodney Yee! His videos looked great and he was such a soothing individual. So I got his Power Yoga DVD and I was hooked from the first yoga "class"! I loved how it opened up my body and how relaxed I was when I was finished. After that first time doing his DVD I went on gaiam.com and bought all of his dvd's! He's a great instructor and I would recommend him to anyone who wants to see great improvements in their flexibility fast!

I am sure this is not my first rant on about yoga and it's benefits but man I love it! I love how relaxed I am and what it is doing for my body. Anyone that talks to me about it I always them that maybe they should incorporate a yoga practice once a week to stretch their body out from a week of hard exercise. People always look at me funny because they hear the word yoga and they think they have to bend themselves into a pretzel and they are scared on how to do that LOL. I always tell them I am nowhere near being able to do that and I get through a yoga routine every week! There are yoga instructors that started out with limited flexibility and it took time and practice to get to the level they are at, so you have to start somewhere! Do it for your body and well being, you'll be glad you did!

Hit those weights!

Well I have heard time and time again that "I'm afraid to lift weights, won't I get big?" NO!! For women we just don't have the hormones to get big and bulky like men would naturally. For women it makes us smaller tighter and leaner which is want we all strive for right? Have you seen a female that is in good shape but has curves? Guess what she is doing, lifting weights! Not only is it good for your fitness, and endurance but it's good for your bone health! Calcium is also good for your bones, keeping them strong and preventing breakage but you will also hear from you dr. and any other article that explains both health that weight bearing exercises are perfect for keeping your bones strong for life! No one is saying that you have lift 100 lbs at a time and be a she-hulk but it is good in adding to your fitness results. There are proven studies that state that your resting metabolic rate is much faster when you have more lean muscle in your body versus fat. Muscle is more dense, so it won't bulge out like a pound of fat will, doesn't that sound nice? well it's true! What the resting metabolic rate means is that you will burn fat and have a faster metabolism even in your sleep! I don't know about you but burning calories and fat in my sleep sounds awful good! Look, I used to be scared of weights too. When I was first trying to lose the 50lbs I had gained I thought "Ok I have to do a ton of cardio and I will drop all this weight" Man was I wrong! Yes cardio is good for you and is one of the main elements of losing unwanted pounds and strengthening your cardiovascular system, but weights is a huge way of losing fat deposits and tightening those areas that we all love to have tight (our booty and thighs!) Of course other areas too ;-) Not until I started lifting weights three days a week is when I really saw my metabolism speed up and started to see the weight really come off! The same will happen to you!

So my rant to day is don't be afraid of the weights! They are your friends! Just remember you are speeding up your metabolism, shrinking your fat deposits, and strengthening your bones among other benefits! Women: you will not get big and hulky like a body builder unless you are lifting crazy heavy weights or gaining muscle in an unnatural way. Men: weights are your friend too! The more muscle you have the more fat you burn and of course the longer you live! If you want to check out some pretty awesome muscle building fat scorching workouts check out http://www.beachbodycoach.com/esnyder81

:-)

Addictions

Okay I am going to put it out on the table I used to smoke 1-2 packs a day for years. I had started when I was 16 and quit when I was 24. Thankfully I was young when I quit but man I smoked like a chimney! Of course it was the whole trying to fit in, trying to be cool but I didn't expect to get addicted by any means, at least how seriously addicted I was. My parents knew I smoked my mom really didn't say anything but my dad was pretty open about it and tried many things to get me to stop. He worked at a mental hospital and saw people with all kinds of diseases. Namely respitory diseases from smoking. he would tell me about people who had tracheotomies, lung caner, COPD and other horrors that can start from the smoking habit. It scared me but I soon forgot about it when I wanted to smoke again. How stupid is that? I mean he is sitting there telling me about these people that are DYING from smoking then I turn around and do it! That is addiction right there and that was I really knew that I was hooked on those things. I had tried to quit so many times it's not even funny. I tried cold turkey all those times and everytime I would get around the crowd I hung with and went right back to smoking. Then another tactic would be me and a friend would decide to quit smoking together and we would do good for a while and do pretty good but then the partying would start and guess what? We would smoke... *sigh* it was a battle for sure and I couldn't believe I was hooked at such a young age. Back then cigarettes weren't too expensive but they cost too much for a teenager to be buying them. I mean why would you start such a habit at such a young age? Oh the perils of trying to fit in... I guess I thought everyone was doing it and that made it okay for me. Plus EVERYONE I knew smoked! It seemed impossible to quit, a huge mountain to climb. I knew I would not be a lifetime smoker or at least I had hoped but I had no idea how I would quit.

While I had been attending KVCC of course I still had the smoking habit but I really wanted to quit and I mean I REALLY wanted to quit. There was a day called National Smoke Out Day where it was a day where smokers would quit smoking for one day. Little did I know this was the day I would put the smoke out for good... There were pics posted from this site called http://www.whyquit.com It's a site with all this info about what famous people had died from complications from smoking, young regular people who had died and current people who had been diagnosed with a smoking related disease who were chronicling their struggle with their disease and how hard it is to quit. These pictures that were posted around the school were two people who were in their early 30's that were diagnosed with small cell carcinoma. A very aggressive form of cancer. One person had started smoking at the age of 13 and the other had started at the age of 16. From the day they had been diagnosed they were dead in 9 weeks. NINE WEEKS. I mean you don't even have time to take in the fact that you are sick and then next thing you know you are gone, all because of smoking. When I had seen these pics and read their story I took my pack of cigarettes out of my purse and threw them away, since that day I have not looked back. I was literally scared out of smoking and that's what it took for me to quit. I felt so free! I loved not wanting to smoke anymore! I was still vulnerable so I would always go back to that site and read about other people who had struggled with quitting and staying clean off of cigarettes. One woman's story really caught my eye. Her name was Christine and she had been diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer at the age of 36. She had started smoking at 13 and now in her mid 30's she is struggling with this disease. She had a young daughter that was witnessing this struggle and had to be such a support to her mom during this time. I would go back to the site from time to time to check on her status, she would chromicle her treatments, how she felt physically and emotionally and keep everyone updated on how she was doing. you could see her getting better then getting worse with every entry but what I admired about this woman is she never seemed to give up and never seemd scared. What she was going through was absolute hell and for anyone having to deal with that at any age would be awful. She was not going down quietly and all of her entries made me want to read more, not that I had a morbid interest in her having cancer but just to see how she was.

Why am I telling you this? Why am I writing about it? Well I just checked back in on the site today it had been months since I have and I was pretty sad to see that Christine had died in June at the age of 39 from cancer. She had it for two years and that's one hell of a struggle considering she was diagnosed at stage IV. For some reason this is really bugging me and I am so sad to read about her passing. I mean she had a daughter and a family that loved her also becasue I had been reading up on her and seeing her struggle. A part of me was hoping that she would survive and be a miraculous story but being diagnosed at that stage is never good. For those who still wonder why I don't smoke or drink and why I am so passionate about fitness Christine is the reason why and those like her. Those habits that don't seem like a big deal are and they can kill you. Smoking too much, drinking too much, eating the wrong foods too much are nothing but a death sentence. It may take a while but the affects will show up. Take care of your body and it will take care of you. Another lesson I got out of reading her story is cherish every moment and everyday because it is all a gift. You never know what challenges lie ahead....

Checking in

Well again I said I would be better about blogging and I have again slacked for about two months. Don't ask me what my problem is I have no idea. Well the weather is starting to loosen up and get warm. Most of this week was 60 degrees and man I am loving it! Back at home it's still cold but I have heard from buddies that it is acting more like spring there so that has to be a relief by my fellow Michiganders. This weekend has been a fun weekend of hanging out with my brother because he has finally moved here and it has been great spending so much time with him! I know it's a relief for him to have some of his family around him so he has that outlet of course. We went to the bookstore, got something to eat and just enjoyed each other's company. Family is really important especially when you don't live in your home state anymore. If you are lucky enough to live by one of your siblings and be close with them what a blessing! I love that my bro and I are so close and that we have the same sense of humor (because we are pretty hilarious ya know) so it's been a blast! I am holding my breath on whether or not they move again but for right now I am really enjoying everything. Today my hubby and I did some shopping at Whole Foods and man I love that store! I just wish we had the budget to shop there for all of our groceries but if we are successful in our business then that may become a reality! Hey it doesn't take much to please me :-) But man I love that we have such a healthy place to shop and eat right by us! Another reason I have to love Colorado so much ;-) But I am just sitting here getting ready to do some intense yoga and watching the food channel. This channel is bad and it can make you fall into bad eating habits if you are not careful but hey you can dream right? I am dreading going to work tomorrow because I have so much awaiting me but at least I can set my own hours so if I have a lot of work waiting for me it's my own fault. I do have to say I was pretty productive on Friday so I can't feel too bad. It just all piles up and at the end of the week everyone needs everything!! I mean you have the rest of the week why are you putting this in me now?? Sorry for the whining but man that really makes me pull my hair out sometimes. Oh well enough complaining work is work right? I feel blessed to have my own business that I own with my husband and as far as things look it looks like it is going well! Well I think that's all for today. I know it's short and sweet but from the title I just wanted to check in. I'm not going to say that I am gong to be the blog queen and blog everyday but I will sure try! Until next time...

It's been a while

It has been over a month since I have last blogged. Work has been crazy and life in general has been nutty! With the new move and all that is going on I have been really slacking on the blog thing which is one thing I swore I would not do. I am still working out hard and spreading the word of health. I watch Biggest Loser every week and man that show really keeps me going and really makes me feel inspired and pumped! I love how each contestant is taking the time and the effort to change their life and SAVE their life more importantly. Seeing their struggle and seeing them not give up makes me not want to give up and keep going. More importantly I want to help others lose and get healthy. So many people still do not realize how important diet and exercise really are. When are you are carrying so much excess weight you are sick you are ill and not well. It's scary to think what that extra weight is doing to your body and what it will do to your future besides cut it short. That is why I am so passionate about it and I want to help others! I post on FB all the time what workout I'm doing when I am drinking shakeology and how the workout makes me feel. I am hoping this is going to resonate with someone and they will get inspired and do something for themselves. Some people may not appreciate it and think all I do is talk about fitness like I am obsessed with it. In a way I am obsessed with it! I love how it makes you feel and the benefits is a longer life! Why is that so bad? If you think about it it's not, it's not bad to be active it's bad to be sedentary and watch your life pass by you day after day. I want to do better with blogging about my workout each day, what workout I did and simply how I am feeling. My next challenge is going to be Insanity! Man I am still nervous but I know that workout will be killer and it will take me places I would love to go! I live in CO so the altitude here is thinner which will make the new workout that much harder but man when I get through it it will feel like moving mountains! I will do better about keeping you posted on the journey, all I can do is try! All I want to do is inspire and help others and hopfully someone out there will read this and want to go down that same road!!

Patience

With living in a different area and trying to take on a different lifestyle I have begun to realize many things about myself. Some of them positive but many of them negative that I did not even realize. One major aspect of my personality that I need to change and I feel is changing already is my patience. I did not know how impatient I was or quick to anger I was. I know it sounds hard not to realize this but when you are used to doing it or programmed to react in such a way that you can't even see it. As it was mention before I have become interested in Buddhism and my husband and I are joining a Buddhist Temple. We went to our first service last Sunday and we cannot wait for our next service tomorrow! This experience has really woken us up and has driven us to make many changes to our lives and personalities. I can tell already that normal situations that would knock me for a loop normally do not anymore. I don't have that tightness in my stomach, the sweaty palms, the lack of sleep are all gone! I have been reading the book Introduction to Buddhism and doing a lot more meditation and that has been doing wonders! My nerves do not feel so fried I don't feel so on edge and I think slowly but surely my patience is getting greater and greater. Now I am not expecting this miraculous transformation over night but I can tell a difference already and the anxiety levels are way down if not gone! I know I have just begun this journey but I really like where it is taking me.

Another bad habit I have/had (and I hate admitting this) is hanging on to the past. I have, like so many others, have been done wrong by people and I hang on to it. When they try to come back around as my friend or contact me after a stretch of time I immediately would react! "where does she get off calling me?" "Why does she want to meet up?" Getting angry and not responding to the outreach. How do I handle this? If I am always available I am telling that person that it is ok to treat me the way they have been treating me and the best way to get the point across that it isn't is to ignore them right? But on the other hand isn't that reacting out of anger? Out of hanging on to the past? This is my struggle that I have to overcome I mean how long can you hang on to something like that? Now I am not gong around telling people how much I hate certain people because I don't hate anybody, I honestly don't that is the worse life energy drainer I can think of, but there are people that I choose to avoid and for good reason. I avoid them because they have become toxic and it's best for me not to have any toxic individuals around. I am not sure if I am handling this right but I am on the journey to finding out. I have made it a goal of mine to let go of the past because it is dead and gone. What kind of life are you leading where you are still angry about things or holding grudges against people that have hurt you in someway a long time ago? I want to be happy, healthy and blessed and I want others to feel the same joy. I can imagine it is an indescribable joy and I can't wait to share this with you...

Buddhism

It has been a while since I have written. Things have been so busy with work and other things and the biggest thing I have been busy with is getting back on a religious and faith path. I am not going to sit here and preach or tell you or anybody how they should worship or who they should worship. My opinion on that is whatever speaks to you that is a healthy and righteous way of living and getting close to God. My husband and I have been interested in Buddhism and researched it for years. I was always interested in why they do what they do and was always so fascinated on how serene they are and always spoke of peace and love. It sounds like they are a band of hippies that formed a religion but this has been around for thousands of years and it is now making its way to the western U.S. I am glad that my husband and I were touched by this and we can go on this journey together. Never once were we concerned about what people would think or have to say. The one thing that people should not do is judge, that is the job of God or Buddha and not humans. I believe that converting to this religious faith will help me with some harsh opinions I may have towards others, swearing and unfortunately gossiping. I really didn't realize how much or how easily I could get sucked into this until I became very aware of my habit of gossiping. I am not proud of it at the least and I really want to learn how to over come this and to stop! It's such a waste of valuable brain power and of our precious lives. I really want to stop this and have a closer and more meaningful relationship with God.

For almost ten years now I have not been to church. When Bill and I first met we had visited one church for a while but then we would fall off. We would go to Sunday service then quit, Wednesday night service then quit then I would try and go to church with my friend Sara but that only happened once. I really don't know why I would fall off everytime but I would. I guess it just didn't speak to me and I guess I really didn't agree with the fire and brimstone and such a focus on money. Everyweek when I would attend church as a little girl there was such a heavy focus on money, how much you should give and those who are not giving are sinning and doing something wrong against God. If that wasn't bad enough it was the whole "you are sinners and are doomed to hell" No matter what we do we are doomed and we will never become close to God unless you did these certain steps. Don't get me wrong I love the Lord and I know he loves me. We have a close relationship and He has seen me through so many things, including when I was abusing drugs and alcohol. It is only because of Him I am alive today. The issue I have is organized religion. Again I am not here to spew hate or to preach, I am just thinking out loud.. Every sunday I would come home in fear! I mean just imagine how scared I was as a kid hearing that I would go to hell or somewhere I didn't want to be because I had committed some sin when I was born, I didn't even do anything! I knew as young as 6 that this was wrong and I really didn't like it or agree with it. God would not want us to be in fear ever, he would want us to take comfort in him and that's it. Also I had a parent that was so dogmatic about having her kids in church every sunday and being so involved with the church. To be blunt (and God forgive me for saying this) I did not want to do any of that! Well I take that back, I really didn't mind being an usher because a lot of my friends in the church were ushers too so that was a way we could see each other. Being in the choir and going to bible study every week wasn't my cup of tea also. Now this may be something as I was young and I guess a lot of young kids do not like being in church everyday. What I'm trying to say is it didn't really connect with me and I really couldn't put my finger on it for years. I always believed, had a good relationship with God and felt good about it. What was being preached to me was if I didn't do a million things in the church I was slapping God in the face, huh?

Moving to Colorado I knew that I wanted to get back in the church and have that tradition again, but what church? I guess you could say I am a disillusioned Baptist (I hope I don't get punished for that) I know a lot of questioning catholics so I guess that's human nature too right? We have inquiring minds by nature so that makes me feel better.. It was time for us to get back with God and to get involved but this time not because we are being guilted into it but because we want to by our own will. Some weeks after we had moved here we began looking at churches and then we decided that since we are interested in Buddhism and it seemed to speak to us so we sought out the local Buddhist temple. We finally found one that was in Denver called the Tri State Denver Buddhist Temple. It was on a Saturday that we had decided to peek our heads in on that one and other Buddhist Temples to see what one we wanted to visit the next for our first Sunday service. A couple we saw didn't really seem like the traditional Buddhism we wanted to practice but they seemed like really nice temples. Finally we got around to visiting the Denver Buddhist temple in hopes of talking to someone but unfortunately we visited it when they were having a funeral, our luck huh? So we just said let's suck it up and go on Sunday a little early and ask questions then.

We got there at 9 and good thing we left early because the snow was really coming down on Sunday morning. We walked up and for some reason I was so nervous! Would they accept us? Would we understand the service? Is the whole congregation going to stare at us? Thankfully I was so wrong! The first person we met there was so eager to answer our questions and was very helpful! He let us know that they are trying to make the temple more progressive and make anyone of any race or culture welcome and not to be nervous about joining a church with different cultural traditions. He showed us the service book, what we should do during and after service and also we would learn by watching others. Man I loved it there! We felt so welcome the service book showed you how to follow along with the chants and songs and the message that the sensei delivered was so short but so right on and it was really something you can take home and try to live by. That really resonated with me more than fear based services. There was no guilt, if you want to help you can and just the welcoming atmosphere. With being in that kind of environment that made me want to volunteer my time and to give monetarily.

I am really excited to be sharing this new experience and I am anxious to see how our lives will change and our personalities. I can already see how it can make you more patient and you really watch what you say about others and also what you think. Having good and pure thoughts is the best way to lead your life. You are not bogged down by negative energy because in the end all the gossping, back biting and negative thoughts will come back to you and take away your quality of life. Enjoy living! Your life is very precious and a gift and it should be treated as such...