Nimble Blog

It takes energy to change!

by Daniel Lucas …

Cultivating energy starts with our relationship to the food and fluids we consume. What, how and when we eat affects our digestion, which in turn affects how much nutrition we receive from our food and how well we metabolize it. Every cell in our body regenerates from what we consume–there is no substitute for quality nutrition and a positive relationship with food. Examine how you feel after you eat. Do you have a nice sense of well-being and satisfaction? Do you feel solid energy for the next 4 or 5 hours? Conversely, does the food you’re eating make you sleepy, leave you craving sugar or disrupt your digestion? If it does, than it’s clear that your eating habits need to change. Releasing body fat and eating well is not as challenging as people make it–what is truly challenging for people is creating the habits to support positive, conscious, healthy food choices. Take action now and use food to get a leaner, younger body.

Take the start of this year to become more aware of what you are eating, how you are eating and when you are eating and then assess the effect your food is having on you. Remember, food is our medicine!

Namaste,
Daniel

Embrace the Siesta!

by Antonio Sini
…

I love a good power nap.  There have been many long days at the studio where I wouldn’t have survived without one.  Research has shown that a daily nap can promote physical well-being, improve your mood and your memory, sharpen your senses and revitalize your energy. By deliberately putting time aside for a “power nap”, you will be much more productive the rest of the day.  A 15 to 20 minute nap is all you need–the key is not to fall into the deeper stages of sleep in the afternoon.  Even if you don’t fully fall asleep, you’ll still reap benefits from the relaxation time.

Here are some quick tips for that perfect siesta:

• Schedule your nap during the second half of your day, usually between 1pm and 5pm.
• Avoid caffeine 4 hours before a nap. Also avoid eating at least 2 hours before your nap.
• Nap regularly and keep your time consistent so you nap at the same time every day.
• Find a quiet space and turn off your phone. Let others know not to disturb you.
• Help your body relax by taking a few deep breaths. Clear your mind by focusing on your breaths.
• If light bothers you, wear a sleep mask or place a towel over your eyes. A dark room will work best.
• Have a glass of water when you wake up and walk around for 5 minutes to stimulate your nervous system.

As I stated, a good nap should last no more than 15-20 minutes. You may think this is nothing but, believe me, its all you need. You’ll feel your heart rate increase when you wake up and you may even start to sweat as your metabolism fires back. After a few minutes and big glass of water you’ll feel good as new!

de·tach·ment

By Caryn Glass

de·tach·ment

Noun:

1. Indifference to other people or one’s surroundings; the state of being aloof
2. The condition of being disengaged or separated, disconnection

I’ve always struggled with the idea of detachment. Perhaps it has something to do with the way the word is actually defined by English dictionaries: aloof, disengaged, disconnected. Not the slightest bit appealing by those terms! To me, the meaning of detachment was simply not dealing with your emotions. If I pretended I wasn’t afraid, for example, if I acted detached from it, fear would eventually just disappear. Like a lot of people, I would say things like “everything happens for a reason” or “they’re in a better place now” in an effort to feel better and overcome hurt, pain and fear. In fact, trying to be detached often made me more confused about what I did feel, which inevitably led me down the path of frustration and anger.

It wasn’t until I began my yoga teaching certification that I started to learn that detachment wasn’t simply a word but a path, a conscious way of living. I sat patiently in front of a newly ordained Buddhist monk as she sat perfectly cross-legged on her mat, with her flowing monk robes and her newly shaven head, waiting for her to share secrets of enlightenment with me. She shared a lot of beautiful things with my class that day, but I couldn’t help feeling a sense of disappointment as I folded up my mat. While the talk was inspiring, it left me with the idea that the concepts and experiences she spoke of were completely out of my reach. I could barely get through an entire Vinyasa flow class, didn’t know a lick of Sanskrit, and wasn’t about to shave my head! A part of me, in an effort to avoid any more disappointment, simply gave up on the notion of detachment. Yet the idea of being able to channel your thoughts and emotions in a way that allows you to be free from them seemed like something that would serve a great many of us.

Jump forward with me to the present, where I recently read an article in a magazine that changed everything for me. It explained that detachment is not the act of trying to deny emotion; there is no need to punish yourself for the things you feel. Instead, the article said, we should acknowledge our feelings. Only when we have truly acknowledged what we feel, can we let that feeling go. It seems so darn simple and NATURAL when it’s put like that! So, I tried it. When I feel afraid, I acknowledge my fear by stating “I’m afraid.” It’s incredible how immediately pressure and tension evaporate. It becomes easier to tap into centered thoughts and to find my breath. Calm returns and I move forward. The fact is, sometimes difficult, confusing, bad things happen in this life. It’s in those moments that our practice of detachment and acceptance is truly challenged. So what do we do when things feel totally out of control? Let me introduce you to another definition of detachment.

Isvara Prandihana

1. Detachment
2. Total surrender to a higher power

Yes, it’s Sanskrit, but bear with me for a second. In the Yoga Sutra (kind of like the yoga Bible) written by Patanjali, he offers several meanings for Isvara Prandihana. The first concept of detachment concerns making the best effort you can in the face of any obstacle, but not being attached to the outcome. The second meaning refers to surrender, complete surrender to a higher power. In other words, releasing our attachment to control. This idea of total surrender does not in any way mean that you’ve become passive about your circumstances, but rather more trusting in the natural order of things. Life and death, health and sickness, love and heartbreak are all a part of it. It doesn’t mean that “everything will work out for the best,” but that regardless of the outcome, even if it’s hard or painful, you will face it with deep acceptance.

In the most trying of times, I’ve found a great tool for detachment has been reconnecting to my Inner Resource. An Inner Resource can be any quality or image that you associate with a force greater than yourself. This could be a person, a symbol, something in nature, or a quality such as compassion or joy. Whatever you choose, it should be energetically positive and something that resonates with you. Once this image or quality is clear, take time to sit and breath. As you inhale, imagine absorbing your Inner Resource and filling yourself up with that image. Then, as you exhale, imagine that feeling emanating throughout your entire body and outward. Repeat your breath as few or as many times as needed. Maybe even add a gentle sun salutation to it. Afterward, sit quietly for a moment and breathe comfortably.

As you move forward, remember that this resource is always with you and is always there to support you. Remember that your feelings and emotions are real and completely natural. Know that the first step in moving past your obstacles and the feelings that accompany them is acknowledging what you feel and accepting your circumstances as well as all possible outcomes. Most importantly, remember to breath.

The Art of Recoveryn training

by Daniel Lucas

Here is an overview of some keys to success when it comes to the art of recovery. At its core, recovery is part of the discipline, patience and commitment it takes to perform at your highest level.

Whether you’re training for the New York City marathon, as I am, or just want to get stronger, all the magic happens in adaptation. We stress our bodies to new levels of fatigue, and our bodies repay us by becoming stronger, faster and more powerful. Muscle fibers shift and grow from these stresses over time. An effective, progressive program will include disciplined recovery periods, with the ultimate goal of being prepared and healthy on race day.

Here’s some tips for effective recovery:

1. Study! A little research goes a long way! Run with this list of tips and use the information you find to make needed changes in your program. If you find some more information that gives you a big YES in your mind, you can probably use it to your advantage.

2. Awareness. All the study in the world will not take care of you better than you. Be aware of everything when it comes to your recovery. Here’s a quick list to get you started: overall energy, mood, joint range of motion, muscle symmetry, aches and pains, bowel movements, sleep quality, caffeine and alcohol consumption.

3. Hydration. Pre, during, and post. We have all heard this song and dance before, but why do so many people compete dehydrated? Habits, addiction, and lack of consistency are the biggest culprits. My quick take on it is this: know your body, pee clear for a couple days before big events, use sea-salt in your water before a race, drink water between meals, limit beverages that dehydrate you.  On the other hand, over hydrating can be a problem too.  Hydrating prior (several days before) an event and using salt tablets for long runs is also something to consider.  Maintaining proper electrolyte balance can make or break your performance.

4. Nutrition. All of the above are important keys to success, but the food you put in your body is what your cells use to regenerate. So, give every training session the fuel you need to perform, and the nutrition you need to recover. This equation will be different for all of us—so be very aware of how your nutrition is serving you.

5. Anti-Oxidants. The waste created in our bodies from intense prolonged exercise creates free radicals, so consuming some high quality anti-oxidants can help balance that equation. Examples would be fruits like pomegranates or berries, and other vegetables rich in anti-oxidants.

6. Sleep. Getting high quality sleep allows your body to heal most of all! The important work of repairing tissue happens when you’re in deep sleep. The basic secrets to great sleep are: a consistent early bedtime, knowing what time you need to eat to sleep well, cutting caffeine later in the day, making sure your bedroom is dark and quiet.

7. Symmetry and Tissue Hydration. Flexibility is a big key to performing at your best. It’s a big part of maintaining symmetry from limb to limb, and being able to re-set tight, tired muscles. Also, hydrating muscles and connective tissue with myo-fascial release tools or massage is important. So you have a choice: Force another tight, challenging run or take care of yourself on a higher level?

8. Functional Exercises. Exercises that target postural muscles that are prone to weakness are an important part of any successful program.  Study up on corrective strategies, and include compound exercises that really improve your balance and integrated power.

Namaste,

Daniel

NImble trainer Al Kavadlo on Sherdog.com

Expert trainer and extreme fitness enthusiast Al Kavadlo is a frequent contributor to Sherdog.com.  Sherdog is the #1 site for Mixed Martial Arts news, training and information.  If you haven’t seen it already, check out Al’s Turkish Getup video on sherdog.com.

Q: IS THE SUN GOOD FOR YOU?

By Keith Paine

A: To scientists, the answer to this question is a bit of a paradox. Radiation from the sun is both the leading cause of skin cancer and our major source of Vitamin D. We’ve all heard of the dangers of too much sun exposure, yet Vitamin D derived from the sun actually reduces the risk of many cancers, as well as being an essential strengthener of your immune system, skin, bones and teeth. Not to mention that Vitamin D increases
levels of serotonin, which means getting us in a better mood. Those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere, not surprisingly, are more in need of sunlight then our southern-hemisphere neighbors.

Here are some keys for getting some safe sunshine :

*Avoid direct, unprotected exposure to the sun when it is most intense, from the hours of 10am to 3pm in the summer.

*10-15 minutes of exposure to direct sunlight without sunscreen, as long as it’s not at the hottest time of day, is generally accepted as being enough exposure to get the  benefits of sun without endangering your skin.

*Use sunscreen otherwise, and re-apply often, even with the products that claim they are water- and sweat-proof. Any product with an SPF of 30 or above is generally offers the same amount of protection.

If you want to read more, please visit the links below.

Why the sun is good for you?
More Sun Exposure May Be Good For Some People.

What is a healthy Breakfast?

by Daniel Lucas

While on vacation in Turkey, a client’s question kept popping into my head when I would sit down to eat in the morning: What can I eat for a healthy breakfast?  It’s a simple question, but I feel like the answer is sometimes tough to grasp.  In America, we often end up in a “breakfast box” and find ourselves eating the same foods over and over, day after day.  Since we should really rotate the foods we eat every 3 or 4 days, all of us could use some healthy breakfast options.

During this vacation to Turkey, my eyes and stomach rejoiced in the lovely breakfast they laid out at several of the hotels we stayed in.  They were simple and yummy, but nutritious.  Below is a list of new options that I found for breakfast.

Boiled Eggs (easy to take to work with you)
Olives
Figs
Walnuts
Almonds
Apples
Oranges (an all season fruit)
Sausages
Cheese (goat and feta for me)
Hummus
Potatoes
Yogurt
Tomatoes
Raw veggies
Greens
Spices
Spinach
Salmon
Beans
Snap Peas

These are all foods we are familiar with, so if you have a collection in your fridge, you can mix and match to create a healthy breakfast.  Shop at the farmer’s market whenever you get a chance to get fresh produce.  I purchased one of the multi-section containers to hold my food and it works really well.  Good luck with mixing up your breakfast options.  I’m sure I left out plenty of great choices that can be added to this list.  Feel free to get creative and enjoy the most important meal of the day!

Namaste
Daniel

Overcome your fitness adversities.

“Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which, in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant.”

~   Horace

.

Challenges are part of life.  Whether it’s something simple like remembering to stretch after a workout or something more imperative like finding a job, we are constantly faced with them.  More importantly, challenges make us better.  Take a moment to reflect on the adversities you have experienced over the past few years.  After each hurdle, you became stronger, wiser-in a word, better.

Reaching your fitness goals is just another challenge–one you can overcome and succeed at.  Take it one day at a time and tackle the simplest hurdles first.  If you need help with an exercise routine or want to improve on your current program, shoot us an email at Nimble Fitness and we’ll do our best to answer your questions. Better yet, if you’ve never been to our studio, schedule a complimentary session and let us help you design an exercise program that will be specifically tailored to you.  Remember, most of life’s challenges can be overcome.  No one says you have to do it alone!

Health and Happiness,

Antonio

Eat by example

by Antonio Sini

-

I have parents often ask me to suggest ways they can get their kids to eat healthier. The first question I ask them is: How do they eat themselves? The answer is telling, as many parents confess to not eating as well as they should.

As a parent, I know only too well that children will instinctively learn from you, both the good and bad. If you know a lot about food and eat a variety of natural and healthy foods, your children will pick up on those habits. If you don’t set the right example, by eating a healthy diet yourself, then you are setting the stage for your children to eat poorly. To ensure that your child develops a healthy mindset towards eating, it is up to you to lead by example. Good eating starts at home!

Here are 3 tips to help you incorporate more vegetables into your family’s diet. It is well documented that families who consume plenty of vegetables tend to have a healthier lifestyle in general. Share these healthy eating tips with your children. When preparing meals let them help pick ingredients and participate whenever possible.

1. Set the tone. If you hold your nose while you eat a broccoli stalk, do you think your kids will want to eat it? What if you make comments like, “yuck” or “How could something that tastes so bad be good for you?” Act as if you are enjoying the experience. This will obviously work better with vegetables you actually do enjoy, but remember that words and thoughts are powerful. You can learn to like new things if you try them a few times. Emphasizing the positives about vegetables, and expressing that at the dinner table, will resonate positively with you and your entire family.

2. Disguise your vegetables. This is a good one for anyone with especially picky kids at home. One idea that works well is to blend vegetables into fruit smoothies. Tossing some fresh veggies in a morning smoothie along with fruits (strawberries, oranges and blueberries work well) and whatever smoothie base you like (almond milk, yogurt, fruit juice, etc) is a great way to get vegetables in at breakfast. Spinach works especially well, as does kale, avocado, wheat grass, carrots and cucumbers. Experiment and blend up a few different combinations of fruits and vegetables until you find a concoction you really like. Let your kids pick the ingredients and help in the experiment. If they absolutely refuse to eat vegetables, you don’t have to tell the kids what’s in the “fruit” smoothie. Keep the fruit-to-vegetables ratio on the sweeter side (more fruit) at first. Gradually work in more veggies as everyone gets used to the taste.

You could also chop up vegetables and add them to omelets, cassaroles, meat loaf, etc. You could mix carrots and peas in mashed potatoes. There are many ways to add vegetables to different kinds of food. Check out this website for more great tips and recipes – www.doitdelicious.com.

3. Make it easy. Eating fresh vegetables bought that morning from the local farmer’s market is the healthiest option, but can be hard to fit in to a busy working schedule. I’m a big believer in organic frozen vegetables, which are available now in most grocery stores. They’re convenient, easy to prepare, come in many varieties and can taste pretty good. Stick with the flash-frozen kind that are just veggies and contain no added sauces. You can add your own spices and a touch of butter to make them extra yummy. Corn on the cob (who doesn’t like corn on the cob?) and baked sweet potatoes are two other easy ways to prepare vegetables. For corn, fill your pot with water, add 1/4 cup of brown sugar, drop in your corn, bring everything to a boil, let it boil for 6-8 minutes then remove from the water and let it cool enough to eat. For sweet potatoes, rub olive oil on the skin then pierce the potato once or twice with a fork. Wrap it in foil, place on an oven tray and bake in a preheated oven at 400F for 40-60 minutes. After 40 minutes, give it a poke once in while with a fork. When it feels nice and soft it’s ready. Let it cool then enjoy!

High-Stress Times or Growth Shifts?

I’ve trained when I’m under the weather, exhausted, even with a broken arm before, but it wasn’t as challenging as my recent week of training was. The reason it was so challenging was because there were a multitude of stresses on my system. They added up over a week’s time:
1) My spine was incorrectly adjusted while on vacation in Turkey, and I ended up feeling like slow moving reptile.
2) The Nimble studio had a massive flood the day after I got back from vacation
3) I felt ill from the fumes of our studio demolition.

No, I’m not trying to complain (although if you trained with me during this week, you probably noticed my struggle) or looking for pity, just articulating some circumstances that eventually affect all of us in life.  Getting to the point–when stresses rise in your life, that is the time to be even more diligent with your healthy habits. Getting more rest, drinking more quality water, eating a healthy organic diet, limiting your alcohol/caffiene intake, and staying in touch with friends and loved ones. Many of us have been programmed to do the opposite; when stress goes up its a green light to drink more, use coffee to stay with the pace, eat less healthy or not at all. All of these habits add to your stress, which can become a kind of “comfort zone” to deal with life’s challenges. We now understand that feeling uncomfortable–getting out of old habits–is often associated with what I see as shifts in growth. Life happens, and you have to be prepared to handle stress at a high level, so it doesn’t take you out of your health zone. Staying healthy under stress also allows you to keep a clear head so that you can make accurate decisions on how to navigate.

If you don’t back yourself up with healthy habits, stressors can grow into much bigger problems, like disease. Make it your intention to live healthier, even as stress at home, work or life goes up, understanding that sometimes these stresses we face are there to facilitate a deeper shift of consciousness and self-awareness. This shift in intention will keep you lighter, healthier, happier and more energetic in the long run. Often life’s challenges are tests of your will and ability to be present and loving during such challenging times. Let right now be the moment you handle stress with love of self.
START TODAY!

Wordology

Words have power! At Nimble Fitness we share with our clients the idea of Wordology. The non-conscious often does not know the difference between what you truly want and the words and ideas you are just playing around with. All of your thoughts get filed in the oneness of the non-conscious, so we ask clients to choose words that align with their life vision. Why not? Through what we have learned in our past, we often create habits or conditions that we live by that no longer serve us. These words we say over and over carry major energy and shape our perception. For example, I had a client that often stated “Every time I walk into the gym, I believe I’m moving forward in my journey to health,” and another that would often discount the work he did if it was not of a certain duration or intensity. He would often state that he could never do enough. Which client do you think progressed faster in his program? The point I would like to make is this: Are you setting yourself up for failure or success? Make the promise to yourself to use words that support you in success and believe it! Why not? Namaste

Top 5 tips to loosen those traps!

by Daniel Lucas

Do you feel like your trapezius muscles will just not loosen up for you, no matter how many massages you get and stretches you try? The trapezius is a large, diamond-shaped muscle, located in your upper back, neck and shoulders. Its job is to both stabilize your shoulder girdle, neck and upper back and provide power for pulling and lifting motions. It’s probably needless to say, but this muscle does a lot of work for us and tends to accept a lot of stress.

Here are some tips from Nimble Fitness to help keep those traps feeling good:

1. Breath! Your breath is your ticket to de-stressing and releasing tight muscles, especially the trapezius. Here’s a simple breathing exercise: Sit up tall with two rolled towels tucked between your elbows and your ribs. Begin taking belly breaths that fill your entire stomach, ribs, and chest with oxygen. With every exhale, consciously relax your arms and traps, a little bit more each time. Imagery is great at helping the body to let go of stress, so visualize a warm waterfall running down the back of your neck and shoulders. Ahh, that feels nice!

2. Become more aware of your posture. Your posture is directly related to how you sit, walk, eat, think and move. Start to become conscious of faulty repetitive patterns in your workday, like slouching at the desk, hanging on the front of your hips while standing, or pinching your shoulders together while walking. Posture is a biggie, and we can’t cover everything that goes into creating better posture in this article, so I will give you one important thing to think about: head position. If you feel your head falling forward, or if you feel you have to “work” to keep your head up, you are definitely putting stress on your traps. Be tall through your torso and spine, and let your head float on top of your shoulders.

3. Leave your big bags at home! Loading your body down with bags tells the body to add more support to the muscles under stress. The body, being as intelligent as it is, reacts to the stress by adding collagen to muscles, making them firmer and more strap-like. The problem when muscles get stuck in these positions is that we get mis-aligned and often feel pain and stress as a result. Remember, everything is connected in our bodies, so our organs can be affected by this stress as well. I say leave the bag at home! Yes, this means the backpack too. Make duplicates of whatever you’re carrying, or transport your work digitally. It will free your traps and your soul as well.

4. Lengthen your abdominal muscles and pecs. Often where we feel pain is not the actual source of the pain. Lengthening your quadriceps, abdominal and pectoral muscles will give space to the front of your body. This will loosen the “tug” from these muscles on the muscles of the back, especially the trapezius.

5. Strengthen your core. And honestly, the rest of your body! Building strength in your torso will assist with having better posture and functional stability, whether you’re moving, standing or sitting. Torso support will keep your head on top of your body, which will take stress off of your trapezius. Train your postural muscles and move with poise!

To Ice or To Heat?

…that is the question, at least when we’re talking about injuries. Though there is often a lot of public confusion about whether to ice or heat an injury, fortunately the experts are pretty clear.

First, it’s important to know whether the injury is acute or chronic. An acute injury is one that results in sharp pain and is usually caused by a traumatic event. A chronic injury is one that is recurring and usually a duller pain.

Here are some ground rules for using ice and heat in treatment of injuries:

*Always use ice after an acute injury has occurred. Ice will help reduce swelling and pain.
*You can also use ice for a chronic condition, but only after activity to reduce swelling.
*Heat should be used before physical activity, to warm muscle and connective tissue and stimulate blood flow.
*Never use heat after an injury has occurred—and never use heat after physical activity.
*Never use ice before physical activity.

Here are some other good tips for using ice/heat from an online medical blog:

*Before icing, put a small amount of oil on the area you’re going to ice, then cover with cloth before you put the ice pack on.
*Ice for a maximum of 20-30 minutes.
*For heating, warm is better than hot. Your skin should be checked at regular intervals to make sure it’s not burning.

-Keith Paine

Do or do not…

“I will try.”  How often do you say this, or hear it being said?  The word “try” most often really means doing nothing at all.  I mean, if you were really going to actually accomplish something–like eating more vegetables–then you would purchase them, bring them home, prepare them, and then eat them. You wouldn’t “try” to eat more vegetables, you would just eat more vegetables.

It seems easy to trick our brains into thinking we are “trying” to do something healthy. Take for, example, joining a gym. We convince ourselves that this is how we’ll try to get in shape. We feel good about the initial step, but what usually happens next?  We go sporadically, or end up not going at all.  Simply making the attempt, or “trying”, doesn’t produce results.

How do we break out of the “try” trap? Take action-and start with the language you use! Instead of saying “I’ll try to accomplish my goals,” say “I will accomplish what I set out to do.” It is also empowering to take time to evaluate your health and fitness goals-do they align with your lifestyle?

Draw up a plan and set tasks for yourself.  They can be simple, like drinking more water, but stay consistent and follow through.  Each task is a step that helps bring you closer to your goal.  As long as you keep working toward that goal then you are not trying but actually doing something.  Take your time, enjoy the process, but wait until you reach your ultimate goal to give yourself a pat on the back.  Only then can you say, “I didn’t just try.  I made it happen.”

-Antonio

Cross Train to Help Prevent Running Injuries!

by Daniel Lucas

Why are physical therapists seeing fewer tri-athletes with injuries in their office than runners? The answer, in a word, is cross training. The most common mistake we see with runners’ programs is that they do not change them up enough. This creates a scenario for injury. The secret to longevity in sport is to consistently change the stresses on your body so that it strengthens, heals and recovers.

Take this opportunity to look at your current training program and assess if you have been making the needed changes to progress effectively. Incorporating a focused strength, conditioning and flexibility program will add some spice to your running and keep you in the game for a very long time.

Here are 5 reasons cross-training is an essential part of your running/training program:

1) Cross-training creates better muscular balance in every part of your body.
2) Different stresses on the body create different stresses around the joints, which actually helps build longevity in your muscles and connective tissue.
3) Multi-planar training strengthens tissue in a more effective way, creating a greater opportunity for the body to load and un-load more efficiently while running.
4) Strength training helps the “assisting” muscles, i.e. the deeper postural muscles, to stabilize better while running.
5) “Rotating your tires” saves wear and tear. Variety in movement helps muscles and connective tissue stay pliable and strong.

Have a wonderful run today!

Kick Your Butt?

By Charlotte Blake -

As we have already established, it is almost summer. Immediately we all think sun, margaritas, ocean, beach, vacation….swimsuit?!? The reaction to having to prepare for that swimsuit tends to unfold in five stages:

1. Panic!!!
2. Begin “kick butt regime” of near starvation and insane cardio.
3. Quit “kick butt regime” because working out like crazy sucks.
4. Indulge in all the food and drink you deprived yourself of and gladly embrace sedentary lifestyle.
5. Panic!!! (And repeat.)

Does this vicious cycle sound familiar?

How about we make spring/summer 2011 a new cycle. Sign up for that class you have your eye on, call that personal trainer, or contact that friend you have talked to about teaming up to get in shape.

My main advice:
Stick with the good stuff.

You hate running? Try spinning! You hate spinning? Try a challenging yoga class! Feeling lost in large groups? Schedule some one-on-ones or duet sessions! Feeling lost about diet? Find a support group or a nutritionist!

You might have to ask for help.
If you do not want to ask for help from someone else, ask for help from yourself.
Sit down (which requires finding time for just you) and think about what will really fulfill you, make you excited to be in better shape, and guide you toward your summer goal.

Pace yourself.
Possible pace-worthy mantras:

None of us have to be unhappy with our bodies this summer.  I see amazing results every day from my clients.  I am inspired by them and constantly in awe.  We all have so much power to change our bodies, increase our energy, and just feel better. And if you are feeling good about your body and your fitness level, it is still always helpful to remind ourselves to keep that steady pace of nourishing movement and healthy nutrition going.

The month is a new one and this season is one of rebirth.
Enjoy Spring’s full potential!

Ab Progression

Watch Nimble Trainer Al Kavadlo demonstrate different abdominal exercises in this short video clip.

Check out Al’s website for more awesome advice – www.alkavadlo.com

Exercise Your Emotions

By Daniel Lucas .

Have you ever had the sense that your old ideas and beliefs are not working for you? Do you feel like you need to let go of the energy that surrounds those old habits? You can start with your awareness—just being able to identify old ways or habits is freeing in itself. That self-awareness can help loosen the bond, especially if you’re able to trace your habits to their origin. Tracing these feelings back to their moment of purpose, and recognizing that the emotions you experienced there don’t define you, can be extremely liberating.

The big question is this: how do we let go? It can be compared to pulling a weed from a garden—if you don’t get the root, you know that weed will live and grow. If you do get to the root of old patterns in your life, you’ll create space that allows you to develop new intentions and beliefs that will empower you.

Here are some tips to consider when digging into to your old patterns and beliefs:

1. Awareness of your emotions, and how they align with your circumstances, helps a great deal. Is your emotion in a certain situation genuine and appropriate to what’s happening? If you’re over-emotional (or under-emotional), this is a sign that there might be a root belief that’s not serving you any longer. It might be time to go back and weed your garden a bit more.

2. Seeking to understand why you feel the way you do will help to know whether you’re acting in the present moment, or re-acting from an old blueprint.

3. Work on your ability to shift into the present moment and see the truth of each experience as it is. This is what we call consciousness!

4. Exercise! Researchers have found that there is a section of the brain that responds only to exercise. Moving your body will tap into your mind/body connection and assist you with letting go of old baggage. Recent research also indicates that the way we hold ourselves posturally is closely related to our moods and to our personalities. In other words, the way we move, or don’t move, is linked to the way we feel. Your body tomorrow reflects what you’re doing today.

5. Keep at it! You may not pull the whole weed at first, but being brave enough to look at your truth will eventually help you grow. Be your own best friend on this journey and allow your natural state of JOY to shine through.

Namaste

Daniel

Al’s Clean & Press

Watch Nimble Trainer Al Kavadlo demonstrate different clean and press techniques in this short video clip.

Check out Al’s website for more awesome advice – www.alkavadlo.com

Keep It Simple! 


by Ami Ipapo …

Ah, the F’s of February – flu season, finding a date for Valentine’s Day and failing New Year’s resolutions. If you’re anything like myself, you’ve had a great start to 2011, filled with ass-kicking, sweat-inducing self-motivation. And now as February rounds the corner and the initial workout high has passed, you’re already reaching for the late night ice cream and giving yourself permission to skip your morning run.

Maybe you’ve set goals that are too high, too specific, somewhat unrealistic or just downright boring. Maybe it’s time to re-evaluate what a “New Year’s resolution” should be. For instance, 

I was skimming through my stepmother’s online blog recently and came across a post entitled “EAT LESS, MOVE MORE.” Aha! I thought…If only it were that easy. My first instinct was to dismiss it as a novice approach and read no further. After all, why would a fitness professional such as myself take advice from an overweight, middle-aged, southern suburban housewife?

There was something about the simplicity of her statement that spoke to me, however. In a society where the idea of well-being has been clouded by extreme diets, trendy workouts, ridiculous fitness contraptions and swanky health clubs, maybe it’s time we got back to basics. Maybe suburban stepmom is on to something! 

I was similarly inspired by a recent reading of Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food. In this layman’s guide to nutrition, Pollan outlines some very basic food rules–a few of my favorites are “Don’t eat anything your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food,” and “Avoid food products containing ingredients that are unfamiliar or unpronounceable.” Pollan gives us a simple answer to the increasingly complicated question of the human diet: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

If this kind of simplicity works for nutrition, I thought, then why not apply it to fitness? In an effort to simplify my own New Year’s resolutions (or even successfully incorporate them into an increasingly hectic New York lifestyle), I decided to wipe my slate clean and start over with my own personal list of basic “fitness rules.”

1. Eat well. Eating well means maintaining a diet that supports your activity level and lifestyle. Personally, I’m making an effort to eat a breakfast that sustains me through six hours of morning clients, and to pack a healthy lunch each day.

2. Move more. For me, this means bypassing the escalator and taking the stairs in the subway station each time I come home…all 133 of them. Trust me, every step makes a difference!

3. Sleep better. One of the most difficult things for me to do is get to bed early when I have an early start the following day. With my new early bedtime, the additional energy I get from the extra hour of sleep is well worth passing up that late night rerun of The Golden Girls!

4. Drink more. (Water!) I pretty much live with a water bottle attached to my hip. Those of you who know me can attest to that.

5. Drink less. (Alcohol!) And my, how the tolerance has gone down when I do indulge in a cocktail!

6. Don’t forget playtime! So, so important. Just one day, one afternoon, or even an hour to relax and unwind can make a world of difference in a busy workweek.

The happier you are, the more likely you’ll be to reach your goals!


 There you have it – six simple ideas to keep in mind throughout the day. These small resolutions are sticking better than any complicated workout makeover attempts from years passed (and my stepmother has lost 10 pounds!) I invite you to try my list, and I encourage you to create your own.

 I understand that not everyone has the time to make it to the gym everyday or the means to hire a trainer. But that shouldn’t be an excuse–you can start making a few small steps toward positive change today! All journeys begin with a single step.

So this Valentine’s Day, stop stressing over finding a date and start to K.I.S.S. yourself. Keep It Simple, Stupid.

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