Thursday, December 31, 2009

Happy New Year Here are some ideas to help make 2010 the Healthiest, Happiest and most Prosperous New Year ever!

From my friend Sue Grealy :)


Health:


1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Make time to be thankful.
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did in 2009.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:


11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts on things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra
class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...

Society:


25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others. Change Lives
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:


32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals too.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, give thanks for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Last but not the least:
40. Please feel free to share this with the people you care about, I just did.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Wednesday at 7pm





Please come to PUNCH this Wednesday at 7 or 8pm and give Kev a proper send off!!!!

Kevin is taking a step further in his career and going to work with our buddy Aaron Brooks YIPPPEEEEEE.


Kevin and I started this studio two years ago and look what we have now!

Come over for a kick ass class or meet us at Union Street for a brewski ;)

I want this class packed!!!!



Weeks 4 and 5

Many of you have been asking how my training is going for my Figure Competition. I'm glad I took a few weeks to let you guys know ;)

As you know I am following a program designed specifically for me by "Coach Nick" Tumminello. As he likes to say an unbalanced body, needs an unbalanced program.
Before photos were taking in my BATHING SUIT in my LIVING ROOM by Shan (THANK GOSH) Nick evaluated my physique and we talked about things that needed to change from my start date so that I could walk on stage with a fighting chance ;)

Being a trainer myself I can write programs for clients, but I always seem to change my own program! I thought it would be best if I invested in an outside, non-bias professional.

Mike Boyle says that "anyone who trains themselves has a fool for a client"

For the first two weeks I weight trained 5 days a week in a split routine. No "cardiovascular work". This was known as my "BREAK-IN" program. In other words, these two weeks were designed to see what I could handle and how my body responded to the programming. Foolishly I continued doing Yoga 3 days a week and my left shoulder ended up bothering me.
If only I could have just listened to the routine EXACTLY. (Luckily I have a team of SMART and AMAZING people to help fix my shoulder)

The upside is, I ALWAYS learn from my mistakes so that my clients do not make the same ones. Kevin and I always say that WE have made all the mistakes so that our clients can reap the benefits without those aggravations ( we are so thoughtful ;) I feel that the best teachers are those who have experienced an injury first hand, how are you supposed to help someone when you don't know what they are going through?!?!

Any who. The break- in weeks went well, but I was SCARED when I would finish my Wednesday workout in 30 minutes! I would be LYING THROUGH MY TEETH if I said that I went along with the program with no second thoughts (there were a few days I asked why the F am I doing this?)

After the first 2 weeks, I have started on my 5 week HYPERTROPHY increase of the size of muscle cells PHASE. I am lifting 4 days a week with an undulating training scheme upper body lower body split. I am still doing no cardio. I have 3 days off from lifting, Saturday is my complete day of rest and Wednesday and Sunday are "cross training" days. My cross training is yoga, since I am in my teacher training :)

I can see a huge change in my body already. Before embarking on this journey I felt as though I had a body that would respond well to this type of training, and I am pleased to say...I was right :) I am learning so much as a trainer and a client in just these first few weeks YIPPPEEEEE

Every week Nick and I will communicate via email or telephone, we have discussed supplementation, progressions, nutrition, you name it!

I have a question...he has an answer.

He will also direct me to articles that he thinks I would benefit from reading :) Just like I do for YOU!

interesting article :)

Friday, December 18, 2009

Not to rush things, but 2009 is rapidly coming to a close!
Stop accepting that you are going to gain 5lbs during the holidays and think of some changes you want to make in 2010.
They don't have to be fitness goals, or weight-loss goals either.

Do you want to spend more time with your family, perhaps make the career change you have been thinking about, do you want to meditate more, travel to new places, cook amazing meals. learn to surf, become a big brother/big sister???????

THINK ABOUT IT!!!!

I have several goals for 2010 and ALL ARE NOT FITNESS RELATED :0

Remember Jenn and I?

Do you?


Well we love to workout together and to change things, up and challenge ourselves further we have decided to do our first Figure/Bodybuilding Competition! Stay tuned ....

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

DailyOM


December 16, 2009
Competing with Yourself
Winning Isn't Everything

The urges that drive us to compete with others tend to be straightforward. Years of both evolution and societal influences have shaped us to pit ourselves against our peers. The needs and desires that inspire us to compete with ourselves, however, are entirely personal and thus far more complex. A need to outdo our earlier efforts—to confirm that we have grown as individuals—can motivate us to reach new heights of accomplishment. We are capable of using our past achievements as a foundation from which we venture confidently into the unknown. Yet if this drive to compete with our former selves is the result of low self-worth or a need to prove ourselves to others, even glowing successes can feel disheartening. Examining why we compete with ourselves enables us to positively identify those contests that will enrich our existence.

There are many reasons we strive to outdo ourselves. When we are ambitious in our quest for growth, we are driven to set and meet our own expectations. We do not look to external experiences of winning and losing to define our sense of self-worth. Rather, we are our own judges and coaches, monitoring our progress and gauging how successful we have become. Though we seek the thrill of accomplishment tirelessly, we do so out of a legitimate need to improve the world or to pave the way for those who will follow in our footsteps. Be careful, though, that your competitiveness is not the result of an unconscious need to show others that you are capable of meeting and then exceeding their standards.

Consider, too, that successful efforts that would be deemed more than good enough when evaluated from an external perspective may not satisfy our inner judge, who can drive us ruthlessly. In order to attain balance, we have to learn the art of patience even as we strive to achieve our highest vision of who we are. When we feel drained, tense, or unhappy as we pursue our goals, it may be that we are pushing ourselves for the wrong reasons. Our enthusiasm for our endeavors will return as soon as we recall that authentic evolution is a matter not of winning but of taking pride in our progress at any pace.

MY AMAZING YOGI FAMILY

Check them out!!!!


PREPARE TO BE AMAZED!


THIS IS PROOF THAT DAVID, TODD, MAGI, and JOANNE and SOBOYO are spectacular teachers and educators, I think you all will agree

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Comfort

I feel like this is a weekly thing people! Once again I find myself with SO FRIGGEN much to say and not enough time to say it!!! Not a bad problem I suppose. I have old entries that I have not completed, which I promise to get up ASAP!

So 2 Sunday's ago we continued studying the eight limbs of yoga, as outlined by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. Coming to the second observance, or niyama , SANTOSHA, or contentment. It is key to all the niyamas and a necessary condition for enlightenment. Contentment paves the way for the integration of all the tools yoga offers.

David explained that Santosha is where we find comfort and where we most enjoy ourselves.

When I think about what Santosha means to me I think of moving my body, spending time with people I care about, cooking, drinking tea, listening to music, being outside, taking a HOT shower/bath, swimming in the ocean, spooning, sleeping, laughing, babies and puppies.....

Well this weekend SANTOSHA came early and brought me lots of presents :))))) including my first Christmas tree!

Thanks SHAN JT AND KAT ;)

The following is taken from Swami Shraddhananda

Contentment is a requirement for peace of mind, yet we live in a culture that fosters discontentment. We are bombarded by advertisements that make us feel inadequate and promote a continual grasping for material wealth and sensual experience. We are taught to seek superficial gratification with no regard for future consequences for ourselves or the world. We become attached to things and people to avoid our personal discomfort. We are led to believe that satisfaction of our cravings, as well as our egos, will bring happiness. To the contrary, ignorance, egoism, attachment, aversion and clinging to the sensual are actually obstacles to our contentment and our prospects for liberation. These five obstacles (called kleshas in the yoga texts) are the causes of all suffering. No wonder people can be so short-tempered and grouchy!

So, what is contentment, and how do we incorporate it as an "observance" in our lives? Contentment is serenity, but not complacency. It is comfort, but not submission; reconciliation, not apathy; acknowledgment, not aloofness. Contentment is a mental decision, a moral choice, a practiced observance, a step into the reality of the cosmos. Contentment/santosha is the natural state of our humanness and our divinity and allows for our creativity and love to emerge. It is knowing our place in the universe at every moment. It is unity with the largest, most abiding, reality.

Too often we think too small. Some people believe they must close their eyes to the suffering of others in order to maintain their own contentment. They confuse indifference with detachment, passivity with peacefulness, and isolation with equanimity. But hiding one's head in the sand will not guarantee contentment. There is an old saying from India: “You can wake up a sleeping person but you cannot awaken someone who is pretending to sleep.”

There are several ways to cultivate contentment. We can practice yoga postures, pranayama (deep breathing) and meditation to keep our energies balanced and our mind serene--qualities that lead toward contentment. We can keep a journal of things for which we are grateful. The deepest contentment comes at those moments when we feel we are in the flow of life, when we are communing with nature, when our energies are positive and when we have no desires. By being conscious of these moments, we can strengthen, expand and sustain the feeling of contentment for longer periods of time. Even when we are surrounded by chaos and disharmony, we can return to this feeling and find ourselves back in a place of peace and quietude. The state of contentment becomes a familiar place when we observe it throughout the day. The key is to bring our attention fully to it when it occurs and not hurry on to the next activity. And by affirming our place in the cosmos, our connection to others and our interface with the divine, it is harder to lose our way when disturbances arise.

One of the benefits of contentment is emotional maturity. Dramatic mood swings diminish, and personal crises are no longer the end of the world. Global events do not push us into isolated selfishness, but rather into community. Self-absorption is no longer the theme of our life. The loss of a job, the end of a relationship, or the nightly news broadcast does not leave us feeling devastated or powerless. This does not mean we have no feelings. But when we consciously santosha, we spend more time in contentment and less time in agitation, more time in consciousness awareness, and less time in the emotionality of anger or depression or other negativities. Contentment offers a doorway into another way to experience the world. There is elegance to how it shapes power in lives and allows for greater service to the world.

We live in times of great upheaval, whether we call it the 21st century or the end of the Kali yuga (the age of darkness). We are riding on a wave made of many changes, and because the wave is so high and moving so quickly we cannot always see clearly. People's lives across the planet are agitated by economic disparities, war, climate change and fears of the unknown. We are both the product and creator of these conditions; we help re info rce in one another the qualities of love or fear, contentment or discontentment. Ignoring these factors or becoming overwhelmed by them serves no one. The embrace of a larger reality is necessary in order to give us the courage to act as well as the solace of daily sustenance.

Many prominent leaders who promote non-violence and work toward improving the world have recognized that the cultivation of contentment is a requirement for working to alleviate the misery and suffering that surrounds them. Some of these spiritual souls, all of whom were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, are Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Aung San Suu Kyi (a Buddhist leader in Burma under house arrest for years and Nobel Peace Prize winner, 1991), Shirin Ebadi (a woman Iranian human rights lawyer and the first Muslim to win the Nobel Peace Prize, 2003), Jodi Williams (founder of International Campaign to Ban Land Mines, who persuaded 122 countries to sign the Land Mine Ban treaty, and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, 1997), Kathy Kelly (Catholic peace worker, nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize and recently jailed for peaceful protest at the School of Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia). All of these people observe contentment as they work for non-violent change, even in the face of harassment, criticism and jailings.

The eight limbs of yoga serve as a map for transformation, bringing balance to the inner and outer life. The eight limbs are yamas (restraints), niyamas (observances), asanas (postures), pranayama (breath control), pratyahara (sense withdrawal), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (contemplation). These are tools to harmonize us as social beings and to balance us as individuals. The purpose of these eight limbs is to free us to realize our full potential and to bring liberation.

May all hearts be at ease. May our contentment promote the energies to alleviate suffering and turn ignorance into knowledge. May the cultivation of santosha guide us to courageous action, deeper community and greater love of all sentient beings.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Newbury Street TONITE

Meet me at 156 Newbury Street for some fun and a workout :) Come at 6 or 7pm, we will have groups running at both times! Not sure exactly what they are going to put us through, but I'm EXCITED!!!!!!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Favor

fa⋅vor

something done or granted out of goodwill, rather than from justice or for remuneration; a kind act: to ask a favor.


:) I have two to ask of you.


NUMBER 1)
I often write about the MYOFORCE VERSUS on my blog, those of you at the gym, know that we have had special access to this device for the past 6-7 months.
So of all people, WE know how AMAZING it is!!! Whether we are banging out partner intervals with presses and pulls, or using it to develop great ROM, for a dynamic warmup/activation or perhaps simply as a tool to progress us to more difficult exercises.

WE KNOW FOR CERTAIN THAT WE LOVE IT!
do Aaron a favor and review his product here!


NUMBER 2)
You all know how much I am LOVING my Body Awakening Yoga Teacher Training with my man David Vendetti. I love the community and sense of trust and understanding that has been built at South Boston Yoga. This is especially apparent in the teacher trainees :) We are 100% open with eachother and we talk about our issues as well as ask for help when
we need it. We are always there for eachother, its like the FAMILY we chose and its great!

My Lady MARISSA has something that I KNOW WE CAN HELP HER WITH!

So here is the scoop:
We'd love to host you and 10-15 of your crew (friends/staff, etc.) at our shop on Newbury Street to try out EA Sports Active and More Workouts. We think you'll be pleasantly surprised by what a great workout you can get and some of the cool "personal trainer" elements it offers. We'd love to have you test it out and get your perspective.
We simply need you to commit to a date and get a crew together to come in at that time. You'll have the place to yourselves and we will show you how it all works and give you the time to play around. Then we'll give you all some goodies to thank you for your time. Pretty simple!


Sounds fun right?
SO they are hosting at their Newbury Street location until December 15th. Do you think you guys could skip a MOnday or Tuesday night class so that we could ALL GO THERE AND SUPPORT MARISSA AND HAVE FUN AT THE SAME TIME!??!??! THIS GIRL KNOWS HOW TO HAVE FUN ;)

Friday, November 27, 2009

It's a small world after all

In the fitness world, it seems as if everyone knows or knows of everyone else. As trainers we all read Mike, Alwyn, Mark, Gray, Coach Dos; the list goes on and on. I also have enjoyed reading Nick Tumminello's work for quite some time.

Several months ago I caught a post about Nick's girlfriend and client Alli McKee. Turns out she was a former athlete who wanted a goal and she decided to embark on a Figure Competition. Sound familiar?

Throughout the next few months she posted videos of her training, to my surprise they were all fully functional! She wasn't isolating everyday and there were no steady state cardio workouts. Needless to say, I was intrigued. Alli ended up placing SECOND in just her SECOND show!!!!

I chose to contact Nick and see how we could work together on my first fitness competition :)

I have wanted to share an awesome article from Nick's blog about Alli and Figure Competitors, it assured me that I am doing a lot of things right :))))))


P.S.
you all know Emily.
You know the gorgeous baby momma that got her body back and more ;) WELL it turns out that SHE GREW UP WITH ALLI in Baltimore,
such a small world!



Gobble Gobble!





Hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving and got to spend much needed quality time with friends and family!

I wanted to share some recipes from our table :)

As you may know I have many food allergies/intolerances and my mother has psoriasitic arthritis. I keep corn, milk, wheat, eggs, soy, pistachios and hazelnuts out of my diet. My momma on the other hand, follows an anti-inflammation diet to ease her symptoms. At first glance you would think that our table would be BORING, but it was ANYTHING BUT THAT!

BEETS 'n' SWEETS

6 medium beets, peeled and cut into chunks
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar (agave)
3 medium sweet potatoes cut into chunks
1 large sweet onion chopped

Preheat oven to 400 F

In a bowl, toss the beets with 1/2 TB olive oil to coat. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Mix the remaining 2 TB olive oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and sugar (agave) in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal bag and shake to coat vegetables with the oil mixture.

Bake beets 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Mix sweet potato mixture with the beets on the baking sheet. Continue baking 45 min, stirring after 20 min, until all vegetables are tender.


Stuffed Squash (my version of stuffing )

4 acorn squash, halved lengthwise; seeds and membrane removed ( I used ONE butternut squash)
1 cup of organic brown rice ( I used basmati brown rice)
1/2 cup wild rice
4 cups vegetable broth or water (used water)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 TBSP olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 cup diced celery
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped ( any nut you want)
1/2 cup dried apricots diced (organic)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamom

Preheat oven to 375 F

Cook both varieties of rice together in broth or water with 1/4 tsp of salt (omit salt if broth is already salted)

Meanwhile, place squash halves, cut side down, into a large shallow baking dish or cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes.

In a skillet, saute onion in olive oil until it becomes transparent. Add the celery and saute a couple of min. Remove from heat. Using a large mixing bowl, blend this mixture together with the cooked rice, cranberries, nuts , apricots and remaining seasonings.

When done, remove the partially baked squash from the oven. Spoon out some of the cooked squash and mix it with the rest of the ingredients. Be sure to scrape only a little; you want to leave squash in the shells too.

Press the rice mixture into each squash cavity, mounding rice as much as possible. (Depending on how large the squash are, you may end up with some leftover rice mixture, I DID ;) it makes a great side dish by itself.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 min or until squash flesh is thoroughly tender.

Don't discard the nutritious squash seeds. Instead rinse the seeds and remove the membrane. Pat dry. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil and spread the seeds evenly on the sheet. Spray seeds lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt or any other favorite seasoning. Bake the seeds in a 375 F oven for about 15 min or until your golden brown. Enjoy immediately or store them in the airtight container for up to a week :)

Mashed Sweet Potato with a TWIST

1 1/2 lb sweet potatoes
1/2 olive oil
1/2 cup orange juice
1- 1 1/2 cup low sodium warm chicken broth
1 teaspoon orange rind, very finely chooped
Sea salt to taste

Peel and cut sweet potatoes into large chunks. Place the potatoes in salted water and cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Drain and mash

Add oil and mix well. Add orange juice, stirring to mix well, then add the warmed broth slowly, mixing until you obtain the right consistency. Add orange rind to salt to taste.

If the sweet potatoes are not warm enough, reheat on low heat, mixing constantly with a wooden spoon.

Some raisins and nuts can be added before serving during the holidays!



Red Cabbage with Apples

2 TBSP olive oil
2 large onions chopped
1 red cabbage, finely shredded
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 cloves
2 TBP apple cider vinegar
3 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
sea salt and pepper to taste

Cook onion in oil for a few minutes. Add red cabbage, water cinnamon, cloves, vinegar and a little salt and pepper. Stir well.

Cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If cabbage gets too dry, add a little water from time to time.

Add apples, stir and adjust seasoning with vinegar to taste. Simmer covered until tender.

Friday, November 20, 2009

BACK TO REALITY

and I mean it in the best way possible ;)

Vacations are amazing! For the first time ever, I truly relaxed and did all the things I love.

Read brainless magazines :) Kept up with my yoga practice, swam, went on adventures in the JEEP, snorkeled, ate amazing food, played BINGO in the pool and WON TWICE :) drank quite a few yummy drinks, spent a ton of quality time with you know who ;) kept up with my workouts with the help of the versus hell I even won me some $$


There is no reason your vacation has to come as a sacrifice to you workouts! After all you train hard at home, why go away and lose all of your progress. All you need is 20-40min the majority of the days that you are away and you can maintain all the progress you have worked so hard to gain!

Down the main hotel strip in Aruba is an outdoor "playground" of sorts for adults. I brought my versus and simply attached it to the monkey bars. I maintained my range of motion and got great strength and metabolic workouts in all while catching some rays and Vitamin D :)))) It doesn't get better than that! Oh and I trained a few interested passerbys as well, HEY MAUREEN HEY MARK!!!!!!!

As I had mentioned in an earlier post, I have decided to take part in my first FIGURE COMPETITION in the Spring. My commitment will officially start after Thanksgiving but I wanted to ease myself into things. I packed my protein powder and used it after every workout. JT and I went the grocery store and got fresh fruits and nuts along with tons of water for the beach. For lunch I had either fresh fish or chicken on top of a salad. Obviously had a few drinks most days and ate whatever I wanted for dinner.
That is NOT that hard!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Free mini-facial and makeup application

Come in with a friend on Sunday November 15th between 9am and 2pm and experience what ORIGINS has to offer!

You will also receive ORIGINS special friends and family discount of 25% OFF, should you want to purchase products :)

I personally use the line for face and body wash, as well as the WHITE TEA MOISTURIZERS!!!! Winter is just around the corner and so are the holidays, treat yourself and a friend and come check out the gym!

Email
meaghan.wahl@gmail.com
to reserve a spot!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Authenticity

Don’t be concerned that your path is not like that of others.

It takes courage to be yourself and not to live in reaction to the likes and dislikes of others.

Be courageous and follow your heart.

You need to walk your own unique path in order to honor yourself and fulfill your spiritual purpose.

Paul Ferrini


Thanks Jeannie Parkus!

Stacey's Favorite Fitness Tools: