So how about a little workout challenge to add to your external motivation? If you’re not already a fan of ours on Facebook, become one today and win a complete set of my yoga and fitness videos ($50 value) as we aim for 500 fans – click logo to visit our fan page. Or better yet, workout every day for 30 consecutive days and win a copy of my yoga-inspired film, Boulevard Zen. We certainly hope our competitive external motivation gets you started with a daily fitness program…because who doesn’t have 15 minutes a day to respect themselves? R
External motivation
Let’s face it. Sometimes you need a little external motivation to get you going to the gym or yoga studio, or for that power walk around the neighborhood. Take me for instance. In six weeks I turn 48, which makes it 31 years since I started driving and began my daily workouts at Man’s World gym in Trenton, NJ. But even today, after all those years, I often require that external motivation to keep me interested and to give me that little extra something to work towards. Fortunately, in my gym there’s this guy who’s built like Adonis, and like me, works out every single day. Yesterday I asked him his age thinking “if this guy is anywhere close to my age I’ll retire”. Luckily he said 31. That makes me old enough to be his father, and since he was born the same year I started working out, I felt relieved. Because we all know the powers of Father Time and Mother Nature, and how your body certainly slows down as the years click by. So in the gym this guy’s my motivation. As for the yoga studio, I started practicing in 2005, so let’s just say my internal motivation kicks in at all times! So if you need a little external motivation to get you going, pick someone who’s got that rockin’ bod, or better yet, find that beautifully sculpted body in a magazine and post it our your vision board. And if you don’t have a vision board, then post it on your bathroom mirror. Because when if comes to anything fitness, sometimes we can all use a little help. Enjoy your workout – R
Cultivate self-discipline
The topic of my horoscope today was self-discipline and how no one is born with it, but is something that must be fostered. I believe self-discipline is something you can cultivate everyday with conscious thoughts, feelings and actions. And since actions lead to results, than it’s best we take positive and deliberate actions on anything in our lives that will lead to positive and desired results. In the case of physical well being, it’s therefore important to take action that will lead to a healthier, leaner and longer life. By embracing a daily fitness program, whether it be walking, biking, weight-lifting, yoga, or any other preferred form of exercise, you’ll be cultivating self-discipline everyday in the realm of physical well being. Which also helps strengthen your mental well being. So if you’ve already broken that New Year’s resolution to workout every day, don’t despair. Leave those negative thoughts behind and start your new routine today. Because who doesn’t have 15 minutes a day to achieve a strong body and a clear mind? Enjoy your workout! R
Top 10 Excuses
So what’s your excuse for not making fitness a daily part of your life? Here are the top 10 excuses I’ve heard this year:
1. It’s too expensive. Well, if you can’t afford the $13.93 to download my 15 Minute Fat Burning Workouts – only $1.99 per workout – or the $14.99 to download my Yoga Survival Guide, then go for a free 15 minute walk or just lay on your back and stretch and work your core & abs – for any amount of time.
2. I don’t have the time. Who doesn’t have 15 minutes a day to respect themselves? And if 1% a day is too much time for you, then make it 5 minutes.
3. I don’t know what to do. Educate yourself for free on the Internet, or better yet, purchase any fitness or yoga video that resonates with you – hopefully mine.
4. I’m injured. Speak with your doctor about what you can do to avoid that area of your body – and mindfully and cautiously workout around your injury.
5. I’m afraid of getting hurt. Before you begin any fitness program, check with your doctor about what you can and cannot do, and really listen to your body at all times.
6. I’m too old. Nonsense! Everyday – including this morning – I exchange hellos with this eighty-something year old man in the gym. Plus, my oldest yoga student was an 88 year-old woman who could barely walk. Need I say more?
7. I don’t have the desire. Who does? I mean, what’s desire got to do with strengthening and preserving your body and your mind for the long term. It’s a necessity.
8. I don’t like working out. Same as above. Plus, try working out everyday for 30 years then tell me if you really like doing it.
9. It’s too cold outside where I live. Who says you have to go outside to workout?
10. I’m going to start in the New Year. Great. Now download my 15 Minute Fat Burning Workouts or my Yoga Survival Guide, and I’ll see you tomorrow!
All the best in 2011 – R
No judgment
In my opinion, this is the most important lifestyle and yoga principle that everyone should embrace. And I truly dislike that word should because it implies that one is projecting their personal standards and opinions upon another. But in this case it applies. Because whether or not you did or didn’t do something, like shirking a responsibility, or not working out, or partying too much, or being mean to your parents or your dog, well, forget about it and don’t judge yourself for doing it. It’s in the past and every new moment gives you a new beginning. No reason to waste energy, effort and feelings on something you can’t change. Especially when it comes to other people. Because for sure we can’t change what others do or say. And why should we or even want to? That’s what makes life interesting. The uniqueness of people we meet who impact our lives and help us evolve in whatever subtle or major way. All this coming from a guy who was once the life of the party who also judged. Believe me, anyone can change at any given moment, if you really want to. Or like my father used to say to me in baseball, “you gotta wanna bunt”. So let go of any judgment you may have for anything you did today or this holiday season. And I’ll see you tomorrow. R
Welcome to a new Fat Burning lifestyle!
What does fat burning mean to you? Is it a specific thing, or action, or result? To me it’s a lifestyle. I know we hear that word a lot and in too many scenarios, but for the most part we all know what lifestyle means, right? Mirriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as “the typical way of life of an individual, group, or culture “. I define it as the way you choose to live your life. Yes, choose.
Because your choice of what’s “the typical way” for you impacts everything you do, and subsequently how you feel. And how you feel is what really matters. Because it permeates you, affecting your overall mental and physical well-being. It’s simple really. Lifestyle = Actions = Feelings. So where am I going with all this? I’m going to the three simple rules I reinforce in every one of my 15 minute fat burning workouts: think positive, speak positive and feel positive. And by positive I mean you can workout every day, you can make healthy choices about what you eat and drink every day, you can speak only positive words regarding any situation or circumstance – because there are positives in everything we experience, and finally, you can feel positive all the time by adhering to the first two simple rules. Trust me. It works. So forget about the potentially hazaradous lifestyle you think you currently have, because those are just thoughts you can change whenever you choose to. So choose to join me for a fat burning lifestyle, one that includes working out every single day for at least the next 30 years. And I’ll see you tomorrow.
Peace – R