Free Streaming Yoga Videos

There are some really AWESOME and totally free streaming Yoga classes online at yogajournal.com/video/ Check 'em out and find one or more you love ;-)  Namaste

Desk Job Fix

Do you sit at a desk for 6-8 + hours a day?  If yes, then here is a challenge for you to keep you moving.....

Whether it is a desk job that have your hip flexors contracted for long periods of time or some other sitting situation, get up and move for 60 seconds every 30 minutes throughout your otherwise stationary day!  That's right, every 30 minutes you need to move for just 60 seconds to add to your NEAT and make all the difference in your aches, pains, and stress factors.  (Are You Neat?)

Say you can't get up and move around every 30 minutes?  You can lift your legs up and down slowly for 60 seconds every 30 minutes; or twist your torso left to right; or march your feet all while still sitting at your desk......moving doesn't mean you have to get up and leave your station (although some of that would be most beneficial to those tight hip flexors).....

Your Ever Changing Best

Clean It Up x 5

Top Five Areas to be Clean:

1) Relationships
2) Self (body & mind)
4) Food
3) Home
4) Work

What does it mean to be "clean" in these top five areas?  Well simply put, don't do anything in any of these areas that you do not intend.  Intention is first and foremost, especially with your word.  Do not react!  Think first, breathe first, then with intention and honesty to both yourself, your word, and the other party respond (or in some cases, don't respond).  How does "intention" apply to food?  By planning and being purposeful and cognizant about what you are putting into your body you are applying the principle of intention.  Consistency would have to be a close second to intention in that you won't get any one thing perfect any or all of the time, but trying to make the next best decision/act each moment that is presented to you, will get you as close as humanly possible to balance and dare I say (softly) perfection.  There are others, but if you are practicing and applying the first two principles in living a clean and purposeful life the others will naturally and effortlessly fall into place and balance!

I read the below post on Facebook the other night and while it is one of many versions of this old e-mail pass around, has typos, is poorly written, look past all of that to the true meaning behind what is written.  I dare say this can be applied to any and all of our relationships including the one with ourselves and our Creator. 

MARRIED OR NOT, YOU SHOULD READ THIS...

“When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I’ve got something to tell you. She sat...

down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.

Suddenly I didn’t know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly. She didn’t seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why?

I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn’t talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn’t love her anymore. I just pitied her!

With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.

The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn’t have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Jane. When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.

In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn’t want anything from me, but needed a month’s notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month’s time and she didn’t want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.

This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day. She requested that every day for the month’s duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.

I told Jane about my wife’s divorce conditions. . She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully.

My wife and I hadn’t had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mommy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don’t tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn’t looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me. On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn’t tell Jane about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.

She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily.

Suddenly it hit me… she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head.

Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it’s time to carry mom out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day.

But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn’t noticed that our life lacked intimacy. I drove to office…. jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind…I walked upstairs. Jane opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore.

She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Jane, I said, I won’t divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn’t value the details of our lives, not because we didn’t love each other anymore. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart. Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away. At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I’ll carry you out every morning until death do us apart.

That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed -dead. My wife had been fighting CANCER for months and I was so busy with Jane to even notice. She knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from the whatever negative reaction from our son, in case we push through with the divorce.— At least, in the eyes of our son—- I’m a loving husband….

The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves.

So find time to be your spouse’s friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!

If you don’t share this, nothing will happen to you.

If you do, you just might save a marriage. Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

 

Take A Stand

from December 2012 Women's Health

"When it comes to burning calories, standing delivers.  A University of Missouri study found that staying on your feet blasts up to 60 calories per hour more than sitting.  And research indicates that standing may help our bodies burn fat more efficiently.  A 130 pound woman can torch up to 570 extra calories when she stands for eight hours.  It's hard to rise to the occasion for that long, so try to get on your feet whenever you can--at lunch, meetings, while checking voice mail--to help reach your weight-loss goal and ward off sitting-related ailments."

Interesting tidbit from katierunsthis.com

Running Shoe Lacing Techniques

When most runners purchase their running shoes from a specialty running store (You are not still shopping at those big box sporting goods stores, are you?) they are already cross-laced and ready to go. Or are they? Did you know there are different ways that you can lace your shoes to make them more comfortable or to help customize your shoes for your feet? Here are some of the more common shoe lacing patterns that help combat some common shoe issues. I tried to find the brightest shoe laces on the brightest pair of shoes I own so that you could see easier.
First, let’s cover the LOOP LACING LOCK. This technique can be used in a number of different lacing patterns to insure a tight and snug fit anywhere along the eye row of your shoe, depending on where your laces seem to be slipping.
In this example, I have put the loop lacing lock at the top of the shoe. The shoe was cross-laced as usual to the top of the shoe. To accomplish the loop lacing lock, put each lace end back into the same hole it just exited, leaving a small loop on each side.

Then thread each loose end through the loop on the opposite side of the shoe.

Pull tight to make loops smaller. Then tie shoe as usual.

PROBLEM: High Instep
Near the toe of the shoe, start lacing with the cross-lacing technique. Once you get to the middle of the shoe, thread the laces up the sides of the eye row, leaving room. Continue cross-lacing at the top of the shoe and tie at the top as usual. This will give your foot room in the midfoot area and help keep the shoe from feeling to tight across the arch of the foot.

PROBLEM: Wide Forefoot
From the bottom of the eye row, lace up the sides of the shoe. Once you get to the middle of the shoe (midfoot), start the cross-lacing technique and continue on to the top of the shoe. Tie shoe at the top, as usual. This will give your foot plenty of room to spread or allow your toes to splay while running.

PROBLEM: Narrow Foot
To help a shoe fit more snugly on a narrow foot, you might want to try adding a loop lacing lock in the middle of the eye row. To accomplish this, cross-lace the shoe as normal up to the midfoot, add a loop lacing lock, and then continue cross-lacing the shoe to the top. Tie the shoe at the top, as usual. Doing this will double the amount of laces across your midfoot, ensuring a snug fit.



PROBLEM: Heel Slipping
There are two good ways of keeping a shoe from slipping on the heel. The first way is to put a loop lacing lock at the top of the shoe (shown in the beginning of the post) and tie shoe as usual. Another way is to use a modified loop lacing lock, called a “runner’s tie.” To accomplish the runner’s tie, cross-lace the shoe until the second to last top hole and then lace up each side of the eye row. Take each loose lace end and thread it back under the side lace of the opposite side. Tie the shoe at the top, as usual.

PROBLEM: Shoe Feels Too Tight
To give your shoe an overall roomier feel, try the parallel lacing technique. To start, lace the first tow eyelets near the toe of the shoe. On one side, pull the lace up through the first eyelet and then straight across the shoe and into the eyelet directly across from it. On the other side, skip the first eyelet and pull the lace up through the second eyelet and then lace it into the eyelet straight across from it. Repeat this skipping an eyelet and lacing across pattern until the shoe is laced to the top. This lacing technique is a little tricky, so here is a link to a video that might help.

PROBLEM: Black Toenails
To accomplish this threading technique, start by threading one end of the shoe lace through the eyelet at the top of the shoe on the opposite side of your big toe. Leave enough lace length to tie the shoe. Lace the rest of the shoe lace through the eyelet closest to your big toe, creating a diagonal lace down the length of the shoe. Lace this long length of shoe lace straight across toward the outside of the shoe and then diagonally up toward the inside of the shoe. Repeat this lacing pattern until the shoe is laced to the top. Tie the shoe, as usual. Lacing the shoe this way allows the material above your big toe to be pulled up and off of the nail when the outside lace is tugged and tied tightly.

These are just a few alternative lacing techniques that may help solve some common runner’s shoe fit issues. I hope this has been helpful for you!

December Trinity Workout = YOGA

We are going to the mat to get our Yoga on this month at Trinity, so join me Saturday, December 15th at 8 am (info at Free Monthly Workouts).  Whether you have never done Yoga before or you have a regular practice, everyone will get what they need!  Bring your mats, water, and good energy and we will vinyasa out the stress and tightness!  (Oh & bring your blocks and straps if you have 'em and need 'em ;-) )

December & January DISCOUNTS

Just in time for the Holidays and New Year......
for ANY Workout Package you Purchase in December or January, you will receive 15% OFF the price of that Package....
Check out all Packages:  Training Prices

New Burpee Challenge

So with Holiday schedules in full force and time being short, you might be skimping on your workouts.....Never fear there is always a way to get you moving ;-) 

A full on Burpee (thruster with push up) is the equivalent of about one calorie.  That being the case you could perform 50 to 100 Burpees throughout your day and get 50 to 100 calories depleted from your caloric intake....Or, you could workout smarter and on days you just can't get your workout in do one to two Burpee Tabata Circuits and torch your fat burning into a whole other gear, boost your metabolism well after your workout is over and go on about your day.  One Tabata Circuit is 4 minutes in duration consisting of 8 rounds of 20 seconds of work (in this case Burpees) and 10 seconds of rest. 

I challenge you this week to do at least one of these Burpee Tabata Circuits (whether in addition to or in place of a workout) and experience the fat burn!

Brotherly Love Equally

Romans 12:9-12 Let love be without dissimulation.  Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.  Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.  Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.

This Christmas, make it about intention and not reaction; make it about balance between doing and receiving; make it about Christ and not the world.  May all good you do be abundantly blessed!