Approach Abs Holistically

Having abs depends upon your attitude and the level of your strength. Whether you want to develop rock hard abs, a flat belly or whatever your goal might be, you must be willing to exercise. The definition of exercise is, something done or performed as a means of practise or training. So in order to obtain abs fast you have to be willing to exercise at least three or four times per week. Once you decide that you want to build certain parts of your body, you must realise that it is a life time commitment and it requires discipline.
Furthermore you have to realise that for your body to burn as much body fat as possible it has to be approached holistically, otherwise it may take more time for you to develop your abs or to burn body fat. There is no one answer to building your body, you can work out one area of your body and still have that ugly flabby belly you've been trying so hard to get rid of. Henceforth other exercises are required to assist in achieving your goal easily and with quick results. You have to do exercises such as swimming, tennis/squash, cycling, jogging, basket ball, etc. Cardio exercises are essential when it comes to burning fat, not only that but you also lose a lot more calories too. Calories are by far the reason for storing body fat and obesity in America. After all, who would not want to leave a healthy life with all these diseases facing us in our daily lives?
Give yourself time and be realistic, do not move into advanced cardio exercise immediately, your body needs to get used to the gym process and adjust accordingly. You have to start with a bit of low intensity exercises and increase the pace gradually. You can start with walking, then jogging, sprinting, and then go back to walking again, and so on. You can do each session for about two minutes with 4 repetitions for each exercise since you are a beginner, the advanced cardio can go for up to more than twenty minutes per session.
You should learn methods that will work for you, focus on how to keep your body burning fat after the gym even when you are sleeping. Since it is a holistic approach, you will also notice that it is more like working out less while burning body fat much quicker. Do not let your attention be caught by the weight loss adverts running on the internet. You want perfect abs or to lose weight, then you need determination and dedication.

What Is the "Right" Amount of Cardio?

If there was ever a loaded question in the fitness world, this would be it. One of the reasons people ask this question is because cardio is work; sometimes very hard work. Also cardio can be tedious especially when at the gym plodding away on a machine while watching something on TV to take your mind off how little time has passed.
So before we answer the big questions we need to look at a few smaller questions.
What is Your Fitness Goal?
Are you looking to just get tone? Maybe you need to drop a few pounds? Or perhaps you are looking at shedding as much weight as possible. The bigger the goal, typically the more work you are going to need to put in over a longer period. A lot of standard scales are based on an "average-sized" person. If you are larger than you can expect to exercise a bit longer. A smaller person will need to exercise slightly less.
How Much Are You Eating?
Any extra calories taken in over what you burn each day naturally needs to then be burned before you get to deal with extra weight. Now this statement isn't exactly correct from a purely scientific standpoint, but the general point stands. If you burn 2500 calories from daily activities and eat 3000 calories then you are going to need to burn more than 500 calories from doing cardio just to get past even.
The Basic Formula
To burn off 1 pound of fat in a week you need to burn off an extra 500 calories per day (3500 calories total) for an average-sized adult. While you might not be able to do cardio every day, your goal of 3500 calories per week can be reached over 3 to 4 sessions. Ideally it has been deemed unhealthy to lose more than 1 to 2 pounds of fat per week (depending on current size) from exercise alone.
Higher intensity exercise burns more calories. But if your body isn't ready for that then you can still burn the same calories over a longer period at a slower pace.
The Right Amount?
Now that you have more information, this is something you need to figure out for yourself based on your own personal goals. If you decide that you want to drop 10 pounds by summer then you can do the math to determine if 1 pound or a half a pound per week is acceptable. Then it is a simple matter of jumping on the treadmill or exercise bike (or doing whatever type of exercise you like) and figuring out how much effort it will take to burn that number of calories per session. For those who aren't in the gym, purchasing a device to help count steps (for walkers) or track distance and time (for runners and bikers) is vital to help accurately count calories burned.
But if being that specific isn't a big deal you can consult general tables that show average calories burned during an activity over 30 minutes to 60 minutes.

A Hard Day

Blast off to Somewhere

I found this fabulous Motivational Poster that says “You are one workout away from a Good Mood”…this is so true!  Feels like a hard day, or hard week…all blending together as my fingers are trying to unwrap my feelings as I write this Blog.  I always like to say YES…I am human and have hard days, weeks, moments…just like you, I am not immune.  Sometimes I want to curl up in a human escape ball and ya know…blasting off to Hawaii sounds pretty good sometimes.  OH MY…what a share…well, why not…I mean really???  I have no fear of sharing who I am with you.  I am in and out of my workout writing this getting into that “Good Mood” coming from a great sweat.  It is my free therapy session where I process all the crap that can attempt to bring me down or create a hard day. As things come to my mind, I am near my computer for entry…that being said, back at it soon to return that will be for certain.

What the heck am I talking about…well, lots of things that have not been so fun…illness, a little surgery, and you know what can bother the most…being hit with the daily not so great communication or circumstances that can come from OMG…really…from them, or her, or him.  BIG YUCK…I am sure I am not sharing anything new…this screams…ARC TRAINER please and the other poster that I just found and absolutely LOVE…”God is STRONGER than my mood”…whew…Perfect for today and has been an “In My Face MOTIVATION” Screen Saver for me this week!

No…it is NOT my period or hormonal issues…although I must say that I do feel more anxious and edgy during that time…generally, I do not allow that to have any power over me though.  I am talking about living one day at a time, and just having, well…a hard day…I will not call it a bad day because I do not believe that days are bad…they are gifts.  I am happy to be here today…although hard…I am thankful. 

I am definitely a believer of a drama free life, not sweating the small stuff, letting go of those things I can’t control, and responding to life’s circumstances is 90% of the outcome.  Sometimes, depending on what the heck has hit me in the “funk” face determines how difficult it will be to not be sad, funky, down or whatever word best fits the scenario. I mean, if something continues to sneak into my mind and try to bug me…YUCK…it must have bothered me for some reason.  I will say to myself…I have let that go… so what the heck…maybe something triggered it…who knows…but the BEST I can do is be my absolute BEST through all situations…which I will also share…I AM NOT PERFECT…and so sometimes get this wrong.  I mean really, if I always get it right, then how am I learning?  Life is a learning journey and I will experience let downs, hard days, unfair circumstances, and unkind words …do I like this part…well, of course not.  Don’t we all want fairy tale days full of nothing but happy times, carefree living, sitting at nearby cafés sipping our favorite beverages while watching people stroll by…that warm fuzzy life that is perfect, picturesque, and stress free…OK…KNOCK KNOCK…time to wake up…this is not reality, and only a fairy tale perfect for travel brochures and romance novels.

What does sharing this have to do with living my healthy life…I think it still comes down to how I handle things.  Today feels like a hard day and the last couple months have been up and down a funky town ride, and I am going to grab onto that poster that I shared in the beginning…”I AM ONLY ONE WORKOUT AWAY FROM A GOOD MOOD”.  I release so much stress when I get my sweat on and achieve a feeling of strength that is greater than anything a hard day can give me.  Like I shared in my last Blog…my free therapy session…and when I am done with that hour, I seem to have a whole new perspective on things. My mood is definitely lifted in a positive direction, and I can think clearer, and make better choices for myself.   

So... Hard Day…Go Take a Hike!

Motivation of the Day:  You Are Only One Workout Away from a Good Mood

Workout of the Day:

ARC Trainer: Strength Mode, Level 6, 30 minutes (this kicked my literal Bootay)

Triceps/Biceps Interval

Cable push downs: 15lbs, 8reps, 5 sets

Tube kickbacks: (medium resistance): 8 reps, 5 sets

Interval of choice (one minute)

Biceps curls: 12lbs 8-10 reps, 5 sets

Interval

Nutrition of the Day:

1. Coffee with Sprouted Wheat Bread drizzled with honey

2. Post Workout Juice/Protein Shake Combo (The Works)

Stay Healthy Quinoa Chicken with Fresh Basil

3. Shredded Chicken Breast on Thin Bun with Avocado 

4. Juice/Protein Shake (The Works)

5. Quinoa Chicken with Fresh Basil

6. Peanut Butter Protein Balls

IF YOU ENJOYED MY BLOG, LIKE IT, LEAVE A COMMENT, AND IF INSPIRED TO SUPPORT STAY HEALTHY FITNESS WITH A SHAKE DONATION…I THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!

STAY HEALTHY!

Lose Weight Using an Exercise Stepper Machine

Exercise steppers or exercise stepper machines are great, low impact, types of workout equipment which really can help you to lose weight and improve your cardiovascular health and fitness. When you take regular exercise (at least 3 or 4 half hour sessions per week) your fitness levels increase, your resting heart rate is much lower (which causes less strain on your heart) and your stress levels can be seen to be much lower. These are just a few of the potential health and fitness benefits of working out and using an exercise stepper machine is a great way of exercising because it is low impact.
What does "low impact" mean? Low impact refers to the actual wear and tear that can occur to the joints and other moving parts of the body when exercise takes place. Walking, for instance, is considered to be a low impact form of exercise because the actual movements that are taking place are smooth and the body isn't jolted with any sudden, fast or hard impact with any surfaces. Fast jogging, or running, on the other hand, are both considered to be quite high impact forms of exercise and so a certain amount of conditioning must take place or injuries can occur. Conditioning involved not over doing it and simply building up to more and more rigorous exercise. The secret is to just work up to running great distances as opposed to jumping in head first, being over-enthusiastic and potentially ending up with injuries which certainly hinder progress and delay goals.
So exercise stepper machines provide a low impact method of working out. This is great because those who aren't used to exercising can pretty much start straight away (after being checked out by their doctor/GP of course). They are much less likely to experience ill effects of exercise such as muscle rips and tears like you can get when you are jogging or running.
As for losing weight, this will certainly happen as long as you burn more calories per day than you consume. It really is as simply as that. Stopping eating isn't the answer and can be bad for your health because your body may be deprived of nutrients. You might even stop losing weight this way because your metabolism might slow down because your body might go into starvation mode. This occurs when your body doesn't know when it will receive more food (usually when people are skipping meals) and so the body starts to conserve the energy that it currently has and burns less calories.

The Ultimate Health Prescription: 3 Ways To Awaken Your Potential

1) Stop Making Excuses

The most common excuses I hear for not exercising are: I haven't got enough time or I can't afford it.  Exercise gives us more time because it has the potential to give us a longer and healthier life. Not only that, recent research shows that higher earners exercise more. The choice to exercise benefits not only you but your family.

"I can't afford it" is another self-defeating excuse. When I was at the temple, we couldn't afford to eat good quality food so we had to eat a lot of steamed bread so we could have enough energy to train. We never used lack of food as an excuse to stop us training. Ask yourself, what is required as a start up health and fitness investment? You don't need to pay the hefty price of a gym membership. For the price of a few Shaolin Warrior DVDs you get my twenty five years of martial art's experience giving you a lifetime of training.

2) Give Up Waiting For Tomorrow

You already possess the tools for great health, peace and fitness. You don't need to go to the Shaolin Temple or a mountain to gain them. This idea is just a fantasy or a distraction. You can train anywhere and everywhere. All the resources are within you now. You just have to get out of our own way and walk on the path. Making full effort in each moment is enough.

3) Train Like A Newborn Child

The Western world puts a lot of focus on effort and hard work. But nature creates without effort. It's action without action. The Shaolin Qigong and Kung Fu Forms give us access to that state of effortless action. It helps us to tap into the  flow so that we train like a newborn child. This then follows us into our day to day life and our life becomes naturally effortless and harmonious.

For more information on The Shaolin Path To Health, Power And Longevity please visit: shifuyanlei

Increase Enjoyment by Exercising Outdoors

Cobra

Prone Cobra

Bird Dog

Superman

Push-up in proper form

Modified push-up

DotsoFit, LLC Copyright © 2012

THOSE WHO LACK BELIEF IN THEMSELVES WILL NOT BE BELIEVED

When you are training for a fight, it is vitally important that you build up your stamina. A marathon runner has very good stamina but they would never have the stamina to fight in the ring because a fighter’s stamina is totally different. In this article I will concentrate on the first part of a fighter’s stamina training; running. In future articles I will concentrate on bag work, pad work, sparring and body conditioning so that whatever fighting art you practice you can be totally confident that your stamina will really work for you when you go to fight in the ring.

RUNNING WITH YOUR OPPONENT

As a fighter you need to vary the way that you run, some days do a short thirty minute aerobic road run, other days do some hill running. Sprint running is also very important, do ten repetitions of 100 or 200 metres twice a week. Other times you should start with a five minutes slow run then one minute slightly faster then four minutes slightly faster again then back to one minute slow again. Continue this three or four times, but start to change the way you run, use footwork, bigger steps, run backwards and then forwards, pretend that you are dodging an opponent, but keep an eye on your stopwatch – 5 - 1 – 4 – 1. Control your breathing. When you want to give up, keep reminding yourself that this strong stamina training is excellent training for the ring, imagine your opponent is here, don’t let him or her beat you, you have to make yourself as strong as you can be.

A journey of a thousand miles

Keep reinvigorating your mind with positive thoughts. Don’t think about the pain or tiredness you are feeling and don’t think about the whole training that lies ahead of you, just focus on this one single step, concentrate on your pacing, your technique, and on doing this one step the best you can.

Remember the famous Tao saying – “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a footstep.” This rings just as true with training as it does with life. And focusing on that one footstep makes a huge difference when you are training. We are so used to our mind going everywhere and being very busy, it is a bad habit that we have got into it, but be strict with your mind, train it to keep coming back, keep coming back to this one step, this one step, and before you know it you have completed your run.

Making friends with the enemy

An important factor to remember when you are doing this training is to keep relaxing your body and letting go of the fatigue. If your muscles start to tense up, find a way to use your mind to relax them. You could use a visualisation technique, for example imagining your muscles are like ice and they are being melted by the sun or another way of dealing with the fatigue is by detaching yourself from yourself, and checking yourself from outside; how are you doing? What do you look like? Find the technique that works for you. Tiredness is something you will have to conqueror on a daily basis, so instead of it being an enemy, you may as well make it your friend.

Kung Fu Journey

In my DVD ‘Kung Fu Journey’, my director Marek Budzynski, insisted on showing what the training was really like on a typical day for a Shaolin disciple. Many people have dreams of being good at fighting or kung fu, but he wanted this DVD not to be like an advert but to show the real grit and hard slog of my training. One morning I went for my usual run at 5.30 am, and there he was with his film crew, filming me running up Parliament Hill in London. While I ran back to the temple, they raced back in their car and were waiting for me in the training hall.

Marek wanted to show real exertion and sweat so the viewer could get a feel for the training. And since watching this DVD, a lot of people have emailed and asked me why I use this weighted jacket when I run and how much it weighs.

Kung Fu Flying

It is 20 kg, and, as you can imagine, it makes running very difficult. When I take it off my body feels so light I feel like I can fly. I then start to do kicks or punches and they are much faster because I have been weighed down with this jacket. It is similar to runners training in higher altitudes, when they come back to a normal altitude it is much easier for them.

The reason they do this is to make the training physically harder than the competition. You need to make your training hard. As hard as you can. But find a coach or teacher so that you are pacing yourself properly. You must only use a weighted jacket when your stamina is at a certain level. This level of training is certainly not for beginners; if your body is not strong enough it can put too much strain on your muscles and potentially damage your joints.

THE IMPORTANCE OF RUNNING

I have done this training since I was fourteen years old. This kind of stamina training is very simple, hard, and boring but I can’t emphasise enough how important it is. Can you imagine if your kicking was like your sprint running? No one would be able to block your kicks. I’ve seen fighters do a lot of pad work and bag work but they never run and when they are kicked their legs can’t take it. As well as building your stamina, it also makes your legs very strong. This along with the circuit training I teach on my kung fu DVDs will keep you fighting fit and youthfully flexible. 

Never press the snooze button

This combination of stamina training is the so-called ‘secret’ behind the Shaolin martial arts. But I think it is the ‘secret’ of success. Hard work and perseverance. Training through boredom, injury, and tiredness. Put your clock on the other side of the bedroom so you can’t reach the snooze button and as soon as you hear the bell, don’t think, get up immediately. Remind yourself why you are doing this training; re-affirm your belief in yourself.

Those who lack belief in themselves will not in turn be believed

I will give you another quote from the Tao; ‘Those who lack belief in themselves will not in turn be believed.’ Believe in yourself. Don’t put limits on yourself. You can achieve much more than you think. And each day do a little bit more and a little bit more, remember don’t think of the journey, just take the steps, and take the steps, and before you know it you will be there.

Increase your stamina level with Shaolin Workout Volume 1, 2, 3 & Shaolin Bootcamp Volume 1 & 2

Exercise Can Kill You

Moderation seems to be the key for much of what we do in life. Moderation in eating, drinking and, as it turns out, in exercise.
If you run a marathon or engage in any other strenuous physical activity that lasts for three or more hours you have a 1 in 50,000 chance of suffering a heart attack during the event or within the next 24 hours.
You might tend to think that long-term endurance athletes are in the best shape of all athletic classes but recent studies suggest otherwise. A study published in 2011 in the "European Heart Journal" found four significant heart issues associated with endurance competition and training:
1. Right ventricular function diminished after races.
2. The decrease in function was greater after longer races.
3. Markers for heart injury, known as cardiac enzymes, increased.
4. One week after the race, MRI scans detected scar tissue in the heart muscle of 12 percent of the athletes.
Dysfunction in the right ventricle is alarming to doctors because diseases that affect that area of the heart can cause electrical instability which increases the risk of sudden death. Even though athletes tend to have good short-term recovery chronic changes may last in many of them.
Exercise is still recommended and can reduce cardiovascular risk by a factor of three but something like marathon training can actually increase the cardiac risk by a factor of seven. Other intense cardio workouts can carry the same risk.
Interval training has been shown to produce the benefits of a more strenuous exercise regimen but in less time. Interval training consists of short bursts of intense activity followed by much slower, non-strenuous movements. The whole session only lasts about 20 minutes and is done for no more than three times per week. You can do other, less intense workouts on the other days but only three times per week for the interval training.
A good interval training session can be done on an elliptical machine, a recumbent bike, or even a treadmill. The idea is to do the intense activity for 30 seconds and then very slow for 90 seconds. Do this eight times with a cool down period at the end for a total of 20 minutes. That's it.
The bottom line is to continue to exercise but find a balance between the tortoise and the hare styles to live longer and healthier. Now, if I can only find a special dispensation from the moderation rule for chocolate.

Personal fitness, health issues, nutrition, and the connection of our mind and body are the things I've taken a great interest in for at least the last 30 years so I think I know of whence I speak. I am not a physician, therapist, or any other kind of so-called expert and am not giving anyone any medical advice. I know what works for me and have spent a lot of time, money, and effort constantly learning as much as I could about all of those subjects. But I strongly advise anyone to consult their own physician before making any changes in their own life.

Persistence

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."

~Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States

Do you know this person...

At age 22 he failed in business
At age 23 he ran for State Legislature and was defeated
At age 24 he failed once more in business
At age 25 he was elected to the State Legislature
At age 26 his sweetheart died at an early age
At age 27 he had a nervous breakdown
At age 29 he was defeated for Speaker
At age 31 he was defeated for Elector
At age 34 he was defeated for Congress
At age 37 he was elected to Congress
At age 39 he was defeated for Congress
At age 46 he was defeated for Senate
At age 47 he was defeated for Vice President
At age 49 he was defeated for Senate
At age 51 he was elected the 16th President of the United States

This person was Abraham Lincoln

"No Bunny Business"

I am a Woman of Faith

OK…another holiday that the stores are cramming with crap...YIKES and YUCK.  Am I a scrooge (oops…wrong holiday)...stick in the mud about Easter????  Well, of course not, far from that…and YES…when my kids were small and even adults…I would make baskets filled with goodies, hide Easter eggs, and had great fun dying eggs…and better yet…eating egg salad sandwiches…BOMB protein.

Easter just is not about the “Bunny Business” for me or shoving tons of candy in my face…A Big NO WAY…in fact, and get ready for a soap box moment here…there is too much capitalization on every single holiday telling the consumer to eat more junk, spend on junk, and the worst part…the meaning of the holiday is missed altogether…there…said it and further…how is this healthy…I think NOT…OK, now I am moving on.  YES, Easter has such a deep meaning as I celebrate my faith and well, sorry chocolate rabbit, although cute and full of calories, it takes the back seat. YES…I enjoy my spiritual life and have faith in the meaning of what it means to be a Christian.  Drum roll…YES…Darla is a Christian, believes in God, reads scripture, prays a lot, and believe me….there have been many times in my life where I know that my strength alone was not enough to get me through…I am talking about the belief in something greater than myself.  There was a time in my life when I was at that… OMG…can’t let anyone know that I am a Christian…what would they think, would they still like me, think I am weird, accept me? I am so happy to be beyond living my life according to what I thought others expected of me, accepted of me, never good enough, pleaser, pleaser, pleaser for everyone but myself…WOW…what was I thinking, and why did I care…it was all a part of my journey of learning…yes, I was once there. 

How refreshing to be living Darla’s life now, and I say something as fabulous as faith is meant to be shared, not hidden.  “Older, Wiser, Better” is what I say now, and this quote can definitely be applied to many areas of my life’s journey… that’s for sure. I know that we all want to believe in things we can see, feel, pull up a chair and have a conversation…but you know what…too easy…that is why it is called faith.  Does this put you off the person who is Darla…well, I will take that chance…this is who I am…the person that is here to MOTIVATE you with my life.  I do not walk in fear or shame of who I am, my beliefs, or my passions, otherwise I would be a hypocrite and that is NOT me.  What you see is what you get…that has always been my way and how I share with you…REAL…like me or not…now that is healthy!

Free Therapy...My Cardio

I look at it this way, life is about challenges that push and pull me in different directions and it is how I respond to those challenges that makes me a healthy girl and with God by my side, I feel strong, confident, and able to walk through any circumstance that comes my way.  Sometimes even a workout may seem tough and let me just share that my cardio is the perfect time to chat with God…pray and sweat and believe me I can cover quite a bit in this hour long conversation. Talk about a therapy session that is free and burns calories…a WIN WIN in my Stay Healthy book.  OK…are you thinking…OH MY…she is a “Jesus freak” off her rocker, Bible thumper, door to door sales evangelist, or how about… the new fitness evangelist…YIKES…are you kidding me??? I do not have to be any of those things because I live my life as an example of loving God, and if how I conduct myself says something to my family, friends, clients, online followers, etc…then that is inspiring and MOTIVATING.

Easter just seemed the perfect time to share this with you, and believe me, I try to live to honor God everyday in what I say, think, and do…I am human, make mistakes, fall, and I am humble enough to apologize when I am wrong.  Definitely far from perfect…as you know, I do not believe in that.  The difference is that I am my BEST as a faith driven woman.  Faith is what keeps me loving myself through how I treat my body, and deeper, how I am with my family, clients, and the extreme passion that I have to MOTIVATE people online to please live healthy lives…make it quality…One Body, One Life…MAKE THEM BOTH AMAZING is another one of my philosophies.  I hope everyone has a fabulous Easter day…will I have a chocolate rabbit…well maybe…and if I do, tradition says….bite the ears off first…at least that is what my daughter says.  I know I will be making my Stay Healthy Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls, recipe link below, and enjoying a healthier version for Easter brunch. Wrapping this up…what is important on this day and every day, is being the BEST version of me, otherwise…what the heck am I doing?  Stay Healthy!

Motivation of the Day: One Body, One Life…Make them both AMAZING

Newly Added to the In My Kitchen Stay Healthy Recipes: Stay Healthy Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls, Perfect for Easter brunch!

My Workout of the Day:

30min Arc Trainer

Pyramid Workout…LOVE THESE!

My Nutrition of the Day:

Stay Healthy Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake - Meal 1

1. 1 cup coffee, Stay Healthy Chocolate Sweet Potato Cake

2. Juice/Protein Shake Combo

3. Juice/Protein Shake Combo

4. ¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds/walnuts/cranberries

5. Stay Healthy Quinoa Chicken w/Sundried Tomatoes & Fresh Basil

6. 1 Scoop chocolate whey protein mixed with almond milk before bed

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

IF YOU ENJOYED MY BLOG, LIKE IT, LEAVE A COMMENT, AND IF INSPIRED TO SUPPORT STAY HEALTHY FITNESS WITH A SHAKE DONATION…I THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!

STAY HEALTHY!

Heaven Is Now Or Never

 “Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train.”

Morihei Ueshiba

Whether we are fat, thin, old, young, healthy or unhealthy, we all share a mind and body that can be trained. If we step onto the path of Shaolin with intellligence and determination, I am confident that we can bring to our life the health and wholeness that we all seek.

Being healthy and whole means we take care of our minds at the same time as we take care of our bodies. Our mind plays a vital part in keeping us healthy. A happy mind makes a healthy body, and the key to happiness or unhappiness is in how we use our mind.

Most of us have minds that roam about like untrained puppies. Our martial arts practice -  whether it’s Qigong, Kung Fu or both - acts as an anchor and tethers our mind.  Once you start to workout with my DVDs, let this become a  refuge from your daily activities. A time to let go of the small self and allow the big self to concentrate on the posture and breathing.

This act of surrender creates an enormous freedom.  We just have to learn how to get out of our own way and once we can do that, we begin to harmonize with the universal life. Through our workout, we come back to ourselves. When our training session is finished and we go back to our daily life, we find that mind is clear and calm. But this clarity and calmness is just a by product. It is always important that we remind ourselves to do our workout without any goal or desire for profit.

 In the West there is a very strong emphasis on the individual and personal choice. But for all of us, our life is not just inside our body but it is a constant exchange with the life of the universe. We continually take in air, food, water, thoughts, energy, ideas, pictures. So where does the individual begin and end?

One thing that we all have in common is we want to be happy. Thich Nhaht Hanh, the great Zen master said that we can only find  heaven in the hear and now. There is no better place or better time or anywhere else to be.  The Qigong and Kung Fu that I teach on my DVDs are the Shaolin Way to Zen. Make this the year where you expect more from yourself and expect nothing. 

Click here to step on the path of the Shaolin Way Of Zen

Runners Diet For Weight Loss - How to Eat For Weight Loss When Running and Exercising

Starting running as a means for weight loss is the ideal training strategy for shedding the extra pounds and keeping them off for good. Running is a cardiovascular exercise per excellence. And it sheds more weight than other training programs. Not only that, running decreases the chances of heart-related problems, lessens stress levels, wards off diabetes, makes you look younger, and improves sex drives, and so on. The list of reasons why running is so good for you is almost endless.
However, to effectively lose the weight and keep it off for good, you need to back up your weight loss program with the right diet. Otherwise the sweat is for nothing.
Therefore, if you're looking to blast through weigh loss plateaus, here are a few practical diet tips that can help.
Don't skip meals
Meal skipping is a sign of trouble. If you regularly skip on meals-especially breakfast-then expect slower metabolism levels, extreme levels of fatigue, weight loss plateaus or even gains and other serious health troubles. Instead, make sure to eat your meals throughout the day. The best way to do so is to opt for 4-5 small meals every 3-4 hours. This is enough to keep your metabolism firing and provide your body with the needed energy to enjoy high levels of running performance.
Eat Your Carbs
Carbohydrates are the main source of energy on the run. But not all carbs are created equal. There are mainly 2 types of carbs:
- The good carbs: also known as complex carbohydrates. Make sure to eat plenty of them-especially 2-3 hours before the workout and immediately afterwards. Good sources of complex carbs include vegetable, beans, legumes and fruit. Limit your consumption of the later one.
- The bad carbs: Also know as simple carbohydrates, they are easily and swiftly absorbed by the body, thus they tend to boost blood sugar levels, leading to cravings and overeating. In addition, this type of carbs is full with sugars and chemicals, thus they will definitely compromise your weight loss efforts and overall health and well being levels. Do your best to cut them off your diet for good.
Eat More Protein
Protein will not only help you pile on more muscle mass-thus develop the physics of your dreams-it'll also keep your cravings at bay by providing you with a sense of fullness for longer, thus prevent snacking and overeating between meals. Some of the best sources of lean protein are red meat, chicken, turkey and eggs.

If you want more free tips from David DACK, then go to http://runnersblueprint.com/weightlossrunning.html and for a limited time you can download his 35-Pages "Weight Loss By Running" eBook for FREE.

April Newsletter, Volume 3, Issue 4

Weight Loss the Mindful Way
If you’re trying to lose weight and not succeeding, part of the problem might be that you are eating mindlessly. Mindless eating means that what, when and how much we eat runs counter to both the body’s true needs and our own health goals. read more »

Great Gluten-Free Grains
If you must avoid gluten because of Celiac disease or if you’re interested in adding different whole grains to your diet, experiment with these gluten-free options. In their nutritional profiles, these ancient grains surpass the staples of wheat, corn, oats and rice in the American diet. read more »

Build Muscle With Light Weights, Says Study
Many fitness experts maintain that exercisers must work within the 8- to 12-repetition range to initiate muscle hypertrophy. However, a study published in PLoS ONE (2010; 5 [8], 1–10) suggests that low-load, high-volume strength training can also impact muscle growth. read more »

Potato Millet Casserole
Potatoes get a nutritional boost when combined with millet in this filling casserole. The nutritional yeast lends a cheesy flavor, along with B vitamins. Look for yellow, large-flake nutritional yeast in the bulk section of your health food store. The preparation method of this recipe is based on a traditional Lebanese dish called kibbi. read more »

Transverse Plane Lunge with Low Dumbbell Reach
Trainer: Anthony Carey, MA
watch now »

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~Lori Dotson, CPT, CPFT, PES, BA, MS
President, DotsoFit, LLC