Tag: yoga

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Remembering my Uncle Mickey

Every Memorial Day I remember my Uncle Mickey, aka, Dr. Cook.  Uncle Mickey served as a cook in the Army in WWII, thus the nickname, and he was exactly 55 years older than me as we shared the same birthday.  In my 20’s I got to know Uncle Mickey and respected his view of himself and the world.  Because he respected everyone and everything.  He was this charming bachelor who would tell folks he never married because he had to take care of his mother, he had a daily fitness routine he’d do in the spare room, and he wore a suit & tie every single day.  That’s right, every single day until he entered the nursing home when he was 90.  He was the ultimate citizen who respected what it meant to be an American.  Someone to admire for truly loving life.  And what I remember most about Uncle Mickey was our walks at the nursing home when his mind and body would barely cooperate.  He always kept his dignity and his positive attitude, and never felt sorry for himself.  So for everyone remembering loved ones today, enjoy!  And enjoy sculpting your thighs again with today’s 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #96 – Killer Squats II. – R

Happy Memorial Day Everyone!

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Benefits of balancing

Balancing poses are great for the mind and body because they help you develop lightness, strength, agility, muscle tone, coordination, concentration, self-confidence and overall control of your body.  And when you add a backbend to your standing balancing pose, like we do with today’s 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #95 – Dancer’s Pose, you’ll also rejuvenate the body, giving you more alertness, openness, flexibility, energy and courage. So add some balancing & backbends to your long holiday weekend.  And enjoy!  – R

 

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Eat Smart

Everybody understands the concept of eating smart, right?  And what a great time to get mentally prepared for the long holiday weekend by consciously respecting your body with a smart approach to eating.  Because eating smart with healthy foods and smaller portions per meal will certainly complement your daily fitness program.  So enjoy stretching it out today with my 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #94 – Leg Stretches.  – R

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Make it a Religion

I met a thirty-something year old gal in the gym this morning who’s there religiously, Monday-Friday, but never on the weekends.  When I asked why, she said “because she likes to sleep a lot to get ready for Monday”.  Interesting, I thought, then she asked me why I workout everyday, even on the weekends.  Because working out everyday is a religion to me, I responded, and I believe that rest is more pertinent to strength training than it is to a comprehensive daily fitness program.  One that includes weight training, yoga, cardio, abdominals, and stretching, all combined with a moving meditative mindset. As described by Dictionary.com, the noun religion is also defined as “a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects”.  Thus, my fervent belief in a daily fitness program makes it a religion for me, albeit, in an unconventional way.  No worries if you believe otherwise.  Just consider the results you’re getting from whatever fitness program you believe in, and if they’re not too satisfying, then perhaps consider embracing my religion.  And enjoy another 5 Minutes of Fat Burning with today’s 92nd consecutive workout – Killer Thighs.  My best – R

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Remind yourself often

Samuel Johnson, the English poet, author and lexicographer who after nine years of work published the Dictionary of English Language (circa 1755) once said, “People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.”  I would certainly agree. Especially when if comes to working out and sticking to a daily fitness program.  Because with my 5 Minute Fat Burning Workouts, there’s expert instruction for every position and exercise that’ll take the guesswork out of it.  All you need is to be reminded to hit the PLAY button and you’re good to go!  So remind yourself often and enjoy slowing things down a bit as you invert yourself with today’s Workout #91 – Standing Splits.  – R

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Who can forget “the Nineties”?

Now who can forget the end of Modernity and the start of the current Postmodern Age? And what do you remember most?  Is it the World Wide Web and the Internet Boom, MP3s and mobile phones, Amazon and eBay, AOL and Yahoo, the iMac and Windows 95, Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, Apartheid and Nelson Mandela, Great Britain handing Hong Kong over to China, Hurricane Andrew and the Northridge earthquake, Boris Yeltsin and the old Soviet Union, the surging Dow Jones and proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem, the Dodge Ram and the Saturn, Dolly the cloned sheep and the Hubble Space Telescope, Generation Y and the Spice Girls, Tattoos and body piercings, Princess Diana and Mother Theresa, OJ Simpson and Colombine High School, assisted suicide and Jack Kervorkian, the Gulf War and Rwandan Genocide, the blockbusters Dances with Wolves, Titanic, Pulp Fiction, The Silence of the Lambs, Forrest Gump, Pretty Woman, Ghost, and Home Alone, the lovable Friends and ER – and don’t forget George Clooney, Beverly Hills 90210, Beavis and Butthead and The Simpsons, the passing of Freddie Mercury, Kurt Cobain, Selena, Tupac Shakur, and The Notorious B.I.G., punk rock and the rave movement, Resident Evil and Laura Croft, Nirvana and Britney Spears, the Major League Baseball strike, Michael Jordan, Lance Armstrong and Hulk Hogan, Jennifer Aniston’s haircut and the resurgence of the Wonder Bra, and of course, Y2K.  It was also a decade of fitness fun with Taebo, Boot Camps and the Soloflex.  And no worries if you can’t remember the 1990’s and lost all your Soloflex bands, because there’s no equipment necessary with my 5 Minute Fat Burning Workouts.  So enjoy strengthening your upper body with today 90th consecutive daily workout – Shoulders & Arms.  RIP 1990’s – R

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Try and try again

This morning I read the obituary for Dick Wimmer, a creative writing instructor and author who was turned down by publishers and agents 162 times over 25 years.  His first novel, Irish Wine, was conceived in the 1960’s then streamlined in the 1980’s – after his 80th rejection – until it was good enough to be published.  When finally released,  The New York Times raved about it, calling it “a taut, finely written, exhaustingly exuberant first novel”.  A wonderful reward for never giving up!  And a pretty simple lesson to try and try again.  So if there’s anything in life that feels hopeless and insurmountable, like your daily fitness program, think of Dick Wimmer and all his 162 rejections.  And enjoy strengthening your legs with today’s 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #89.  – R

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Remembering “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”

You may not remember what you were watching on television 44 years ago today, but if you were about my age, say 2-5 years old, you were probably watching the debut of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.  This first-of-its-kind “television visit” with Fred Rogers helped children develop their imagination, creativity, cooperation and self-esteem.  The show was theme-based, slow and simple.  However deceiving these qualities can be, the Neighborhood was a tremendous success.  Interestingly, my 5 Minute Fat Burning Workouts are also theme-based, slow and simple.  But don’t be deceived. Because you now have 88 different – and effective – workout themes to choose from, including today’s Screaming Abs II.  So thanks for the memories & RIP Mister Rogers. – Rich

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Be as unique as a fingerprint

Oprah Winfrey said, “I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint – and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.”  I love Oprah’s belief because it lets you be you, and incorporates the collective energy of everything and everyone around you as part of your destiny.  So be as unique as a fingerprint today and everyday, and don’t forget your 5 minutes of fat burning with Workout #87 – Dancing Warrior.  Enjoy  – R

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Power and economy go hand in hand

I read this in my Horoscope this morning and immediately thought how it relates to almost everything in life, including the correct fitness program.  I say correct because the power comes from doing a combination of simple, full body workouts using the proper technique, and the economy comes from maximizing your time and results by doing them on a daily basis.  So maximize your power and economy today by getting started with my 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #86 – Terrific Triceps II.  Enjoy – R