Be fabulous and know it!

Last night I spent a few moments watching the Golden Globe Awards. I only caught a few moments; I was able to see George Clooney accept his award, which was fun! I was also able to catch Angelina Jolie present an award. Now, I have always been a fan of this lovely and very talented actress. I couldn’t help but be distracted by how thin she’s become. The dress she wore was amazing and a true testimony to the skill of the designer. It was fabulous! However, her arms told a story of a soul in torment. As I watched her speak I couldn’t help but wonder how hard it must be to live in a world where you are judged by how you look as frequently as our media personalities are. Where your weight and state of age are constantly thrown in your face at every turn. And where your ability to get work is affected by how you look. This is the world Angelina lives in. The first thing I wanted to do after watching her was EAT!

In contrast, I found this lovely picture in my friend news feed on Facebook. This is an image of a “full figured” model from a recent magazine article. This was a powerful image to me for this lovely woman puts light on how beautiful a woman is without having to go in the direction of extreme skinny. And I like that!

Now please understand, I want you to be healthy and to focus on being in a healthy and active state of mind. What I also want you to do is to be in joyous love with yourself. To truly have a love affair with yourself and know that you are beautiful regardless of your weight.

Be inspired by this beautiful model and inspire others.

That’s really all I have to say. Love you and keep dancing!

Keep in the race!

Today is January 15^th.  Statistically, this is right around the time most of us start to stray from the ambitious resolutions we committed to in the excitement of New Year’s Eve.  As surprising as it may seem, most resolutions focus on fitness.  This means that most of us are struggling keeping the pace on our fitness goals for the year.  It seems today is a stress test for those goals and we’re faced with staying or straying the course.  So that makes this a critical date for fitness for the community.  A day we need to focus on keeping on target and supporting those around us who may be on the verge of stepping off their fitness path for the year.  Let’s make a commitment to one another to stay the course and make this year’s fitness goals our revolution and not a resolution.  Resolve to evolve and make fitness a priority in our lives. By committing to this revolution you will see a dramatic change in your physicality, energy level and general disposition.

Where are you in your fitness resolutions?  Struggling?  No worries, we all do!  Take a moment to consider some tools that may help you to stay your course.

1. Reach out to your buddy.  Connect with a buddy to have them join and help you stay with your goals each day.  If you don’t have one, make a point to pull one in before the end of this month so you can get the bond and support.
2. Reward yourself if you are sticking to your plan.  Are you doing everything you set out to do at the start of the month?  FABULOUS!  Give yourself a reward so that you can taste the sweet glory of success.  Give yourself an “atta boy”!
3. Schedule a session with fitness professional.  Give yourself some time with a trainer so that your fitness regiment can be super charged or adjusted to meet some of your higher expectations.
4. Put the fun in your exercise program!  Find something to do that is fun and effective for you.  Add this to your regiment at least twice a week and help your soul sing during as you exercise.  This can be a dance fitness class, dance lessons, horseback riding, swimming, hiking… anything that you would truly enjoy that engages the cardio and muscular systems.
5. Look back and remember.  If you find yourself slipping, take a soul journey to the past.  What has slipping done for you in the past?  Have you started other years with fitness goals that were not met? (The answer to this questions is most definitely yes the majority of us!)  If so, are you happy with the result?  (umm no)  Then take a deep breath and get back on the train and make this year the one where you achieve your resolutions!

All of us create resolutions each year, but all of us do not achieve them.  2012 is a year of change and enlightenment.  A year of evolution.  Let’s make it a year we all resolve to evolve.  Good luck and many blessings and I’ll see you at the gym!!

Go niners!

As I sit considering all the fun and energies as the first week of NFL playoffs go into full swing, I can’t help but think about how so many people stand strong with a team now that they’re in the playoffs yet may not have stood so strong earlier on.  I wonder just how many of them stood by their teams when they struggled and fought their way to the playoffs early in the season and beyond.  In the times when the team couldn’t get a break, changing quarterbacks and coaches.  Suffering injuries and scandals.  Not being able to keep the ball in hand.  Times can be hard when building or rebuilding!

Coming of age in the San Francisco Bay Area, I have seen our local teams celebrate powerful success and I have also seen them suffer the agony of defeat.  I’ve seen so many people start a season swearing a team would never make it and then step up with cheers as they enter the playoffs, the whole time swearing they knew they would make it all along – just as everyone else rallies the call of victory.  They call these people; Bandwagoners.

The truth is, life is much a like sport season.  We have challenges, defeats and success.  We explore new frontiers; make critical life management and relationship decisions each year.  And we sometimes decide to relocate to take advantage of a stronger more supportive market.  And even seek out a change in coaches to help us overcome hurdles.  In the end, the decisions we make each day can determine whether we celebrate our own personal Superbowl victories or whether we’re forced to earn next season’s first round draft pick.  And, as with sports, it can be boring when the same team wins constantly.  We need change, fumbles, tackles, sacks and turnovers to keep things interesting.  So it seems it is in the choice making where life becomes exciting and enjoyable, not drudgery and predictability.

We’re all athletes in this game of life.  Too cliché?  Well… even so… here are some things a good life athlete can add to their play book to help them get to their personal playoffs!

1. Live your life in a positive and supportive way.  It’s so easy to find what is wrong with life and to express in any way you wish.  Believe it or not, most people are aware of the pains and struggles that come in life, they actually don’t need us to remind them.  What they do need is to be reminded of the flowers and warmth in life that surround us each and every day.  Try pointing out the positive to yourself and those around you and find a tool to train yourself to stop being negative.  For example, set aside a coin box and drop a dollar in every time you express a negative or unsupportive communication.  The goal is to have very little accumulate in the box!
2. Take responsibility for your personal challenges.  Life is a challenge.  Whether we are happy in our relationships, have an unhappy job or even if we wish to change our living condition.  It’s all a part of the challenges we face in our lives.  It’s not truly about pushing the responsibility of the situation or someone else’s choices onto something out of our control.  Just find a way to release, learn and move on.  I don’t know if you realize this, but the people we communicate with often judge us for not taking responsibility rather than hearing our “excuse”.
3. Learn from adversity and change your game plan.  This one can be a struggle for you have to learn to listen and absorb feedback from those outside your space.  And then make sensible plans accordingly.  You notice that sport teams get lots of feedback and they don’t do everything that is suggested.  But there are some things that are taken into consideration.  You have to take your licks, take responsibility for them and move on with a solid and effective game plan.  Don’t run in emotion.  Run with focus!  You don’t have to change your journey, just have focus.
4. Support your team and they will support you.  The people you work with and support are all on your team.  When you decide you no longer support them in you actions, words and deeds they will often elect to no longer support you.  Sometimes we have a reaction and feel we may have something to say.  Either choose to say it to your ally or not, just try to not to share it with the universe.  You words will always find their way back to your ally. And that can often lead to losing a team member’s support that you may truly need!
5. Stand your ground.  If you have a vision or a purpose, you have to know that hearing feedback does not mean your vision is incorrect.  You have to let your vision blossom.  In sports they call these building years!  People may be impatient or have no understanding of why you’re doing what you do.  It’s not up to them to understand.  If they’re your allies they will love and support you regardless.  If they do not, than perhaps they are just not your allies.
6. Be in gratitude.  Thank those that helped you in your mission.  Thank those who love and support you in your journey.  Thank that in which you place your faith.  It’s that simple.

This is a short and effective action list that will help you build a powerful life’s playbook.  Don’t be afraid to be in your own power but don’t give up your power by letting others pull you down.  The most important thing to remember is this:

As the leader of the team running your life’s mission it’s up to you to take the team to the Big Game.  Don’t be a bangwagoner.  Be a faithful.  Be your fan for life and have those close to you who are your fan for life.  You will always have bandwagoners (they are a dime a dozen).  Faithfuls are priceless.

Good luck San Francisco 49ners!

See you at the gym.

Love and Dance

I had a conversation last night with one of my regular fitness clients who reached her threshold.  The point when we finally decide we are no longer willing to live as the person we are now.  The point when we decide to put our health needs first.  For most of us this is an emotionally charged moment, for we see ourselves as someone we just aren’t happy with being any more.  It can be difficult.  It was for me.  Three years ago, when I decided to make a change in my physicality, I had a night of crying and yelling at myself.  I didn’t like who I had become and felt helpless.  As if I couldn’t find my way back to a more health state.  Truth be told, the only reason I was able to snap out of it was the strength of my faith and the loving support of my family.  I was lucky to have so much support.  It also helped that I stumbled into the fitness profession, which made exercise an integral part of my everyday life.  One can say I experienced the perfect storm in regards to my weight loss journey.  True, not everyone has this kind of support or experience.  One thing that IS true for everyone is that you have to make a decision and take action.  So let’s put our hands together and make today a fitness day of action!

I know it’s the holiday season, but that is no reason for us to not focus on fitness.  Trust me; it’s not that difficult to make fitness decisions around the holiday buffets and social functions you have on your agenda.  As always, I have some suggestions and tips that may help you.  I encourage you to take some action today if you are ready to make a change in your life.

Find a nutritional support program that works for you.  There are a number of programs that have a proven track record of success.  Some of the ones I like are;

• Weight Watchers.  Very sensible and supportive organization.  What I like about their program is that they focus on nutritional education give you continuous support.  So it’s not about dieting, it’s about changing your life for now and the future.  A great program!
• Jenny Craig.  If you need a meal planner program this one is for you!  They have a number of solutions and a support staff to help you through.  It’s not just about a long distance mail order program, which I like.  And the full menu can be planned with meals provided for those who live on the run.
• 30 Day Fitness Challenge.  This is a program I work with my team on.  It has some amazing affects and is supportive for all fitness levels and ages.  As with some of the other programs I like, nutritional education is a large part of what this program has to offer.

Sit down with a personal trainer so that you can get some professional support and guidance.  You have to realize that you’re not in this alone.  A good personal trainer is a valuable tool and support system that will help you get started on a plan customized to meet your needs and who will be there to cheer and pull you through to the other side.

Make a choice to get into the gym three to five times a week.  It’s not too much to ask of yourself.  Get into the gym and give yourself some time to get fit.  Join in a group exercise class, get on the treadmill, do a circuit on the weight machines… do something that will jump start your program!

Get a fitness buddy.  Partner with a friend and make fitness a priority for one another.  You will find that you’ll have more success if you have someone in the trenches with you.

I invite you to come out to one of my classes today as a part of this day of action.  I will be teaching my Afro-Belly Boogie Cardio Dance fitness class this morning (11am) at the Casto Valley 24 Hour Fitness and this evening (7:30pm) at the Downtown Oakland 24 Hour Fitness.  Come out and make this day of action spring you forward.  And don’t be stopped if you aren’t a member of 24 Hour Fitness, download a pass and come out and join me.

The most important thing you have to connect to is simple.  You are the most important person in the formula and you deserve to be given every chance to live a prosperous life in body mind and spirit.  Let’s take a step together today to make the body your focus!  You are amazing!  Let’s be amazing together!

Take action!!

McDonald's Big Mac

It has been a while since I’ve written in my blog; the activities of this past week have been extreme as I up my fitness regiment and prepare for new launch activities in my fitness programs. However, like everything else, I have to make time for the commitment I made to this blog and getting information available that you’re looking for as you struggle through your personal fitness goals. As I reviewed the feedback and responses many of you made to my past blogs I ran across one that stood out as a major issue many face during the holiday shopping season. The fast food dilemma.

Sonja wrote:

Sticking with healthy eating would be easier if it were more convenient. Grabbing a bite at a drive-thru is easier than preparing a healthy snack / meal.

I understand and I hear you. It’s very difficult, when we’re very busy and under a lot of stress, to take the time to prepare a well-balanced meal and then sit down and eat it in a slow and healthy manner. In a perfect world our days would be filled with three balanced meals and two healthy snacks. I find myself challenged with meeting this expectation when I’m at a high level of activity and stress. Personally, my life is filled with meetings, fitness classes, production & development activities and somewhere in there family time. I spent the last couple of days trying to understand how much of my time is actually spent on the road or engaged with people.  The number I came up with was somewhere between 60% and 80%, which can be about average for many of you.  If I were my own life coach I would make recommendations such as; preparing my meals in advance and taking them with me, releasing some of my at activities that take me too far away from home and even preparing weekly meals to have in stock so that I can have them ready when I am home. Well that is exactly what I would advise myself to do and what my own personal trainers have advised me to do. However, like you, it’s not always possible to follow these directions with discipline. So what do we do? We often find ourselves rolling through the drive-through of a local fast food restaurant. I call this the fast food dilemma.

The fast food dilemma is the process we fall into when we desperately need to feed our systems and find ourselves facing the decision to eat at a fast food restaurant. Fast food is filled with all things that contribute to what ails us. The saturated fats, the calories and the sugars… All the things that add to our waistline, cholesterol and do little but satisfied our cravings and desires. The fast food industry is one of those which benefits the most during the holiday shopping season, when shoppers stop during their spending frenzies to take a breath and eat.

Calories are a big concern when eating fast food.  While driving around over the weekend I found myself at a mall to pick up something simple. Between the food court and the restaurants surrounding the community I counted over 50 fast food restaurant choices for me to select from if I were so inclined. From doughnuts to tacos; hamburgers to ice cream, the choices seemed endless.  Everything my heart desired was within walking distance of my location. I checked one location and found a product that easily had a calorie count close to 900. 900 calories! For the average person this is close to half the calorie count for the day, that’s insane!

Then there are saturated fats, something we have to be mindful of when we eat fast foods. The American Heart Association makes the following statement about the effects of saturated fats to our systems:

Eating foods that contain saturated fats raises the level of cholesterol in your blood.  High levels of blood cholesterol increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.  Be aware, too, that many foods high in saturated fats are also high in cholesterol – which raises your blood cholesterol even higher.  

Saturated fats are found naturally in many of the foods we eat everyday but they also occur at a more high-frequency in fast foods.  The American Heart Association goes on to recommend that less than 7% of our daily caloric intake be made up of saturated fats. This equals about 16 g of saturated fats for the average 2000 cal per day diet. Let’s take a look at this for a moment. The number one food chain historically in our nation is McDonald’s and their best-selling product is the big Mac. McDonald’s big Mac has 10 g of saturated fat. At 540 cal it represents 27% of the average daily caloric count and a whopping 63% of the daily saturated fat intake recommended by the American Heart Association. To this we add fries, soda and possibly a desert and we’re not even finished for the day. These are the things that are knocking us down as we focus on fitness. It’s important that you think about what that food is going to do to your overall condition before you make the decision to eat it. Consider this; think about your saturated fats and calories as being elements in nutritional menu that makes up your needs for the day.  Each meal you eat should take little pieces from each department on that menu in a way that will allow you to get through the day without going too far over on one side or the other. Being conscious of all the elements will help you manage what you eat.

Now I don’t want you to hear that I’m preaching raw carrots and water all day long. Life is meant to be lived and enjoyed and food is an important part of that enjoyment. It’s my belief that it is not always necessary for someone to spend their lives living in a container of celery sticks and coconut water. There are some simple things that you can do to survive the holiday season and the fast food dilemma without giving up the pleasure you get from the company or your friends and the surroundings of the season. Let’s talk about some of those simple things.

Tips for surviving the fast food dilemma:

Tip one: Simple is best. When ordering off menus try to find selections that have less rather than more. What does this mean? If you have to order a hamburger you don’t need to order one that has bacon and cheese and chili and so forth. Make a selection that has a less additions that will have a high impact on the nutritional value of that food product.

Tip two: Take it on the side. If you get a salad or any items that come with the dressing or sauces get your sauces on the side. You will find that you use less of that sauce when you dip or spoon as needed rather than spreading or pouring it all over your dish. This tactic makes a huge difference in the impact of your meal.

Tip three: Check the special menu. Public and government pressures have influenced fast food restaurants to provide more healthy options for consumers. Many of them have a healthy menu; it just may not be as visible as their normal menu. Ask them for the special menu if you can’t find it, you may decide not to eat at that particular restaurant if they don’t have one. Many of the special menu selections can be just as tasty if not more flavorful than your normal choices. Give it a try.

Tip four: No salt please. Most fast foods have been made, preserved and cooked with plenty of salt. Don’t use extra salt on your food. Salt is something that can get in the way of our weight loss goals and can also have more serious health effects if we have too much of it in our daily diet.

Tip five: Bigger is not always better. Choose fast food that’s more health friendly. One of the major restaurants out there has a campaign that focuses primarily on the size of their products. We all know them. They’re hamburgers are so big you struggle to get them into your mouth-and this is a good thing? What you might not notice as you look at their menu is that there are other choices.  They have the same configuration in a smaller more manageable size. The menu just has the smaller one way down at the bottom and off to the side where you can barely see it- it seems their mission is to get you to buy the larger more expensive one. Can you blame them? Well I can, feeling health is more important than the profit, but I do understand their desire to remain profitable. For you, shoot for the smaller helping.  I think you’ll find it just as satisfying if you take your time and enjoy.

Tip six: Drink a lot of water with your meal. Don’t add the syrups and sugars that are in the Sodas and other beverages to your meal, water is all you need.  I find that filling myself with water while I eat helps me eat less. And drink clear water; don’t put water flavorings or powders in to make it feel or taste better. There are few things better for you than clear, plain and pure water; your body needs it so enjoy it.

Tip seven: Keep those vegetables coming. Salads are fabulous. My husband has a saying when he eats his burger, he doesn’t want a salad on it. It’s a point of contention between us . When you have to order a burger don’t take all the vegetables off (unless you have a health issue with that vegetable), keep the vegetables on the burger. This will help fill you up and the vegetables deliver positive health benefits.

Tip eight: Be aware of the calorie count. As I mentioned earlier, most restaurants are complying with government regulations and making the nutritional factors clear on all their menu products. Check the calorie counts when you order food. You want to stay away from any meal that has a count anywhere near half or more of your caloric intake for that day. One meal should not make up your entire caloric intake. And by the way, did you know that some of our favorite beverages at Starbucks can have up to 400 or 500 cal in them? Can you imagine having one third of your daily caloric intake come from a Caramel Frappuccino? Everything you put in your mouth to eat has a caloric and fat count; we need to be conscious of that.

Tip nine: Take a life jacket with you. If you have a snack that you enjoy that is healthy and satisfying, you should take it with you everywhere you go. What are the types of snacks I’m talking about? A bag of roasted nuts or perhaps some dried fruit, these are some good examples of snacks that are healthy that will help stave off your munching and your cravings. Some of us carry fresh vegetables and fruits around but not all of us like to  or are able to do this. There has to be something out there that you enjoy that will support your snacking needs that won’t interfere with your nutritional regiment. I recommend taking a walk down the aisles of  Trader Joe’s and finding some of snack options they offer. They have a large variety of great trail mixes, nuts and dried fruit combinations that may work for you. Stock up on them and take them everywhere you go. Leave them in the car so that you can have them at any time. This way, when you are faced with a crisis munch moment you can stop and snack on something that will better support your fitness program.

Tip ten: Get your friends on board. So you decided to make healthy choices but your friends; not so much. It’s important that you walk with people who understand and support your vision when you’re on a path to fitness. If your best friend wants to hang out with you but all she wants to do is eat red velvet cake and drink milkshakes it could be very difficult for you to maintain any healthy program. Take your friend by the hand and asked that she join you and support each other so that your choices can be the right choices together. You can still enjoy the shopping season with a cup of coffee, some browsing and purchasing in the mall all followed by light and fun meal in the food court.

It’s not impossible to live a healthy life and enjoy a little fast food from time to time. The biggest dilemma is making sure that it is just from time to time and not all the time.  Make the visits few and far between and not every day.

Good luck and keep the comments coming I love your feedback I now will see you at the gym!

Here comes flu season

As a fitness professional I am often faced with the decision of whether or not to work while affected by some of the illnesses and ailments that take us on each day.  When I was in the corporate world I faced the same decision.  However, my job was not as physical so I did push through work at times when I perhaps should have stayed home.  There are times when we convince ourselves to work though an illness due to necessity or practicality.  Whether we really need the money or we just feel our impact on a project is too critical to miss the hours, we often choose work over staying home to heal at a high percentage rate.  So, what’s the difference when we consider working out while sick?

I’m sometimes amazed at what I put myself through to make my class schedule each day.  From accidents to illness, I try very hard not to cancel or get subs for classes.  Driven by something beyond my control, it has become important to me to make sure everyone who signed up for a workout by Angel gets what they asked for as often as possible.  Regardless of how I feel.  For example, this past week I have worked through what I thought was a slight cold, I came to find out yesterday that I actually had the flu.  I was surprised to find I had the current flu running through the community.  The biggest surprise for me was that I wasn’t falling down sick like I usually am when I get a flu.  Something you need to know.  Some years ago I went through some medical treatments that affected my immure system, the result of which leaves me getting really sick when I get the flu.  I’m usually bound to the bed and forced to live off the kindness of my husband and daughter.  I can be pretty pathetic!  This time around, I was just slightly inconvenienced.  I explained this to the practitioner and asked their thoughts and the answer was pretty simple.  It was a combination of my increased fitness level and the fact that I kept working out through the process.

A couple of things that I need to say before I go on.  The majority of medical practitioners encourage you not to workout if you have a fever.  It can be dangerous.  Specifically, there are dangers when the fever is combined with the rising of your body temperature as a result of exercise.  It is recommended to stay out of the gym if your fever reaches 100 degrees Fahrenheit.  Also, a fever can indicate the individual is contagious and should avoid contact with people who may not want that particular illness.  If you have an illness that can spread through fluids (like the flu), then you should avoid the gym.  All that sweating can make things a bit complicated for others!  Lewis G. Maharam, M.D. has a simple rule for you to follow when working out sick.

 Do what you can.  And what you can’t do, don’t do.

Other’s feel that, if you’re experiencing bronchial tightness or irritation, then you shouldn’t workout.  As a former Marine, I was always told to take some meds, get up and get it done!  Hmm… so many messages.  Which ones do you follow?  Here is my list of tips for working out sick.

1. Assess your sickness with honesty.  Love yourself enough to be honest with yourself about how you feel.  If it were your loved one and not you, would you tell that loved one to stay home today?  If the answer is yes, then you need to stay home and rest off the illness.
2. Are your symptoms above or below the neck?  Are you experiencing; runny nose, plugged sinuses, sneezing, etc.?  If so, you can move on to your workout.  Make sure you proceed with care and be cautious.  Don’t push too hard and listen to your body.  On the contrary, if you have an upset stomach, strong hacking cough, or chest congestion, then you need to stay at home.  Let the body work through what you’re fighting and refer to the advice of a health practitioner.
3. Give yourself the walk test.  When you’re at the gym, take a brisk walk around the group exercise room or the main room of the gym.  If you can walk around the outside of most group exercise rooms without feeling the stress on your lungs, headache, nausea or dizziness then push on.
4. Let your body rest!  The best tools for your body to flush out an illness are; rest, fluids and good foods.  Exercise or sweating out an illness is purely a myth.  Sweating doesn’t aide the healing process.  It can actually stress the process sometimes.  Especially if you have a fever.  The pressure on the heart rises with the rise of the body’s temperature (a natural effect of the exercise process); this is increased when that rise in temperature is due to a fever.

 Fever + Exercise = Heart Stress

5. You don’t want to make everyone sick!  We can be quite selfish in this area.  When we push to make sure we don’t miss a workout we can forget the affect our need to workout has on those around us.  Your cold or flu can spread across everything you come into contact with at the gym.  EVERYTHING!  Consider the health of others when you decide you need to get to the gym today.
6. Most important.  Follow the advice of a medical practitioner.  Drink fluids, eat well, lie down and rest when advised to.  Ask questions when you feel you’re ready to get back on track.  I have found incredible information at WebMD, for those who may not have access to a practitioner.
7. Don’t fall for the “fall behind story”.  If you miss a few days at the gym, your world is not going to come to an end.  You need to love and respect you enough to allow for time to heal.  I have facilitated classes where people have passed out from pressing too hard.  That only leads to an unexpected hospital visit and the possibility of a longer break from the gym.  Stay in bed today, drink lots of water, and rest!  You won’t fall behind.  Trust me.  The gym will be there tomorrow, we want to make sure you are as well!

I hope this information has been helpful for you.  I want the workout experience to be as enjoyable to you as it is to me, if not more!  Don’t follow what I did with my illness this past week.  Be more supportive of your body’s needs and understand the importance healing to being fit.

Take care and I’ll see you at the gym!!

Happy Thaknsgiving

Good morning and happy Thanksgiving!  As I get my family meal together and prepare to head out for my morning blitz of fitness classes, I had to take a moment to think about all the things that I have been blessed with in this past year and so far in my life.  It was distracting as I watch the news seeing all the people focused on parades, football and Black Friday.  Sometimes I wonder if we’ve truly forgotten what this is all about.

It comes to me each year that the importance of being in gratitude becomes more lost each Thanksgiving.  What Thanksgiving is about is the pure process of giving thanks.  The pilgrims gathering with their new found friends to give thanks for their friendship, the bounty of harvest and their actual survival.  It’s was simpler then, but we still can come together to be thankful for the things we do have – even if we feel we need more.

I challenge you to sit for a moment today and make a list of all the things you are thankful of this day.  Don’t worry about how long that list is and don’t focus on anything negative.  Just be thankful!  When you have completed that list, spend a moment go over and giving thanks for the abundance of blessings you have in your life.  I promise you, we all have many things we can be thankful for.

-         Family and friends;

-         Gainful employment;

-         Safe and happy home;

-         Good health;

-         Loving spouse; and more!

Put it all out there and give thanks.

It is said that more than 5,000 people will be gathering at Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco today.  These are people who don’t have the ability to prepare their own dinner or (most likely) don’t have a home in which to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner.  I am thankful that they have a place in which to enjoy this day.  Thankful for those who are giving their time to support the effort and thankful that I am able to be with my family to enjoy my meal later today.  I send hopes that they will have a more abundant and positive year in 2012, perhaps next year they will be able to spend the holiday in their own home with their families.

I am off to get my groove on with Afro-Belly Boogie this morning.  If you have a moment, come out and join me for an early morning workout before you dive into your holiday.  I want to give thanks to all of my instructors who have given me their energies and love and have helped to make this program both fun and exciting as it emerges in the fitness forum.  And all of you who have supported and followed me in my journey, I am thankful.  For you must know that I truly do this for you.

God bless you and joyous Thanksgiving to you all.

Did you know that one of the keys to a healthy and strong body is a strong and healthy bottom?

Everyone wants to have a sexy bottom.  And everyone has a different ideal for what that bottom looks like.  I spend a great deal of time working on the muscle of the bottom when I work with clients and when developing steps for the Afro-Belly Boogie Cardio Dance program.  This is an area I find to be a major struggle for most women both as we strive to lose weight and as we get a little older.  So I have a passionate need to focus on helping fight the battle of the bottom.

The reality is that it’s not so much about the look of the bottom as it is about the condition of the bottom.  If you work on your bottom, you will gain the overall health benefits and gain the benefits of a fabulous view from the rear!

What has research proven?  Well, I was thrilled to find that some researchers have been proclaiming the benefits of a toned bottom on a person’s overall health to be more than just about looks and strength.  It seems that women can be prone to back and knee problems based on how our bodies are constructed.  Our hip position, made to better facilitate child birth, has some physiological affects that we can counter with proper exercise.  These affects include strain on the knees and back due to how we walk, sit and move throughout the day.  This is not a sign of weakness or something you need to worry about.  It’s simply something you need to consider as you work on your fitness program.

Here are some great exercises that will help you with your bottom focus:

Key points:  When I refer to the number of times to do an exercise I will use the term low (10 to 15), moderate (16 to 25) and high (26 to 40).  When I recommend sets, that means you should repeat that exercise series 2 or 3 times, depending on your personal goals and fitness level. 

Proper squat form

1. Squats.  This is my favorite exercise!  I know, not too many people like to do squats, but this exercise is a monster in the battle of the toned bottom.  Make changes to your routine by changing the way you perform the squat.  A series of wide legged and narrow legged squats with and/or without weights, or side to side.  Make sure you do an amount that will make a difference; a high quantity would be ideal, repeating for a couple of sets.
2. Lunges.  This one can be tough and most people don’t like these.  As with the squat, this is a monster in the battle of the bottom.  Make your lunge series count by doing a set; in place (static), forward moving, side to side and moving backward – all with weights.  Moderate quantity for a couple of sets.
3. Step up.  Using a raised step, bench or low chair.  Step up on and lower yourself down.  Both with and without weights, do this exercise in a moderate quantity and multiple sets.
4. Jump up.  In a squat position, lower yourself down in a squat position and jump up with strength.  Control your return to as not to injure your knees.  This exercise will help to build strength in those glutes fast all while giving the much coveted lift!  Do a moderate number of these through a couple of sets.
5. Deadlift.  A GREAT exercise!  Use a challenging weight, moderate numbers and a couple of sets.

And here are some great cardio exercises that are good for the bottom:

-Walking.  This works all the muscles of the legs and is a great exercise to compliment your program.  Try to walk as often as you can everyday if possible.

- Kickboxing.  An amazing leg workout, the kicking and thrusting will help you in your battle of the bottom.

- Cycling.  Though bicycling in the open air is ideal, not everyone has the ability to get out on a bike and ride.  You local gym’s cycling class will do just fine!

Step back and look over these suggestions and add them into your weekly regiment.  You will see marked changes to your body’s overall feel, how you feel and how your bottom looks in those skinny jeans!  I must warn you.  With these being the largest muscles in the body come the most discomfort when working them.  As the muscle aches come, make sure you take steps to address the discomfort.  Stretch, rest, massage and keep going!

Good luck in your journey and let me know how these exercises work for you.  I will see you at the gym.  Love and dance to you!