R is for Ready, Set, Yoga

I just love Autumn. The things I love most about this season are the beautiful weather, the colors, the outdoor energy (fairs, outdoor musical events), the fashion and the workout opportunities. Autumn is a perfect time to fall back into fitness. So let's make sure to get that heart pumping and keeping our minds and bodies healthy.

Wherever You Are

The gym may not be for everyone. It might seem too tight and confined for some who find joy working out in other places.

Running or weight lifting may not be for everyday.  It is good to do, but maybe adding different types of exercises to your lifestyle that also affect different muscles in your body, might not only enhance the experience, but keep your mind geared toward continuing on your fitness journey.

So how about taking your workouts outside!

Ready, Set, Yoga

Have you ever tried yoga?  It is a great exercise that can stretch every muscle in your body and also make you more flexible.  What I found to be great about yoga is that it teaches you how to breathe effectively so that when you are doing harder cardio workouts, you find the breathing process to be much easier.

Yes, yoga is meditational and yes it can bring you peace of mind. No, not all forms of yoga will put you to sleep and yes, your body can actually benefit from it. And it is a great exercise to do anyplace and at anytime.

Some questions you might be wondering is, how many downward dogs do I have to do for it to be considered yoga? Can I snap my neck doing head or shoulder stands?  Do I actually need a mat to do yoga? Following an instructor is best at the beginner stage. Guidance is helpful to get a hang of different yoga positions; but once you get a hang of it, anytime and anyplace a yogi sees fit.

I took it outside to Canarsie Pier and in the midst of my time there, I realize I did not really need a mat at all.  Through this experience, I have now found a name for my car: YOGAMAT.

 

This post was inspired by MAMAKAT's writing prompt on the five things I love most about fall. The top love would be working out though there is not really a season that is dedicated to it; it is an everyday passion.  This post was also inspired by National Name Your Car Day which falls on October 2, 2014 this year. Fun idea to use these  images to come up with a name for my vehicle.  (Photos are courtesy of EJ Haughton Photography)

P is for Push

There is no time or place designed that is designed as the only time and place to push. Push wherever you are and whenever you feel like you are ready and you need a little push in your life.

Who?

Anybody who desires to workout and are equipped with the willpower, the success will be yours.

What?

Achieving quality health and fitness is not an easy thing. It requires work and dedication. It requires belief in yourself and faith in God's power to enable you to make it happen. So push! Know that you can do it and never allow any comment, thought of failure, impatience over seeing other progressing faster than you or anything, make you lose your ground. You set your parameters and you fellow your own path and accomplish your fitness goals, your way.  But just know, it takes time. So be patient, stick with it and see results.

Where?

At your desk?  You get tired of sitting, stand up and stretch your legs for a minute and let your muscles work a little beyond the fingers that are typing on the keyboard.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator.  If you work on the second floor, it is just a few steps down to the first.  Are we being lazy or is it really necessary to let the electronics of man do the work that the legs God created for you can do more efficiently?  Go out and take a walk during your lunch break. Or maybe go for a quick workout at the nearby gym.  30 minutes may not seem like much of a workout but,  30 minutes a day of cardiovascular exercise increases your heart health tremendously.

At home? You do not need a gym to workout. Grab two of your heaviest bottles of hair conditioning treatments or corona bottles and use them as weights while you are watching television.  Do a few bicep curls with them, some tricep extensions and maybe some shoulder twists. Pretend you have a rope in your hand and just jump like you would skip rope.  During each television commercial break while watching the evening news or your favorite television show, do squats through the duration of one commercial, lunges through the next one, pushups or tricep dips during the next one and maybe some torso twists through the next one until the show you are watching comes back from the commercial break.

When?

In the morning?  I find that working out gives me energy like coffee does. So in the morning is not so bad for me to go for a morning walk or jog through the park, to do some Nintendo Wii Zumba or Just Dance dancing, or to get on to the elliptical machine at the gym. But if you are not such a morning person, maybe during midday is not so bad.  Working out before you eat is the best thing because after you work up an appetite, you are giving yourself a great treat. However if you eat immediately before, you are setting yourself up for getting those cramps on the side of your stomach that some people call stitches, while you work out.  But maybe you are not the type who likes to workout and then continue the hustle and bustle of the day. How about right after work? Try walking home from wherever you are on purpose. Most people will volunteer to walk the five miles for a benefit walkathon. How about using this walk to benefit your own heart and health?  You'll be surprised how you can shed and tighten your belly by just regularly walking a mile or two. But maybe you have a lot to do at home and you want to rush.  How about right before bed?  So you are tired and you lay down but not tired enough to close your eyes and fall asleep at a decent hour.  Work out and make yourself so tired that you have not option but to honor your body.  There is always a time so make time because nobody else can spend their time on bettering your own expensive health for you. Only you can.

 

Why?

Because it is your health. Because your body is God's temple. Because you want to achieve better  heart health. Because you do not want to be pre- or borderline any diseases caused by your own eating habits. Because you can. Because you want to.

How?

Alphabets of Fitness: K is for Keeping up with Thine Own Health

("God Cares" written by Stephanie Jeannot & Mike LeShore) , (c) All Rights Reserved)

 

This month of February, like every February, is American Heart Month. Are you celebrating?

Remember, the heart is like the drum pattern in a song that without, the song and dance would seem irregular.  And with the perfect tempo, the rhythm flows naturally as God intended without having to be doctored to fix.

So what are you doing to show that organ that orchestrates the beautiful melodies that God enables to pace in each new moment of life?  Are you getting it pumping hard with passion?  By passion, I mean exercise.

If you love the beat of life, like the beats of music then, walk hard like you would to a funk song with a song in your heart like, “I want to thank you for letting me be myself.” If you are loving the simple fact that God woke you up this morning in new mercies, you are dazzled in red and those lyrics you groove to are then truth and you are definitely then, keeping up with thine own health; especially with the given fact that heart disease is the number one killer of women. As soldiers, we are equipped to win the battle over health and we definitely can conquer good health.

So what else can you do?

K is for kettlebells. Did you know that in 20 minutes of doing kettlebell workout, you can burn up to 400 calories?  Seems like a lot if you are sticking to a 1200 calorie diet. But if you eat a bacon double cheeseburger with large fries and a soda every day, you will only be burning off the calories from the fries.  Not so bad but if you love your heart, let’s eat a lil better to show it some true appreciation and love. 

K Is for kicking the carbs.  Did you know that the serving size of bread per person is really one slice?  Take a look at the nutritional facts on the bag of bread that you just copped from the grocery store.  What does it say about the serving size?  Am I right or was I just really kidding? 

K is for keeping the faith. Keep the faith and keep moving forward. We all stub our toes

sometimes and even if we fall, we were built with enough strength to stand back up and face the sun of yet another morning. So how are you keeping the faith?  Are you praying? Are you aware that there is more power behind you than any challenge that stands before you? 
Because moving towards a fitness goal is not easy at all; takes a whole lot of willpower. So don’t give up. Even if you decide to give up sweets or alcohol for Lent and all your friends flaunt red velvet cheese cakes or Long Beach Iced Teas in your face; if you made the decision to kick the habits, you need to keep the faith and stick with it because it is still your journey alone; even with your family and peers around you. Your true peeps will be your support team and will help you to stay motivated.

Finally! K is for Kill it.  Don’t sit around pinning workouts you want to try and never try them or have the tv on with Gillad doing his workout while you just sit back and watch without joining in the excitement and putting in the actual work. No, if you get a chain letter email that tells you to forward it to ten friends to lose 20lbs, you will not lose 20lbs by just typing names in the to box.  Also, don't use the excuse of not wanting to sweat out your perm and can't workout. Can't is such a disabling word. You can still look cute and workout even with your perm having sweat in it. Natural sweat actually helps hair to grow.  You would probably look sweeter on an assisted weight machine than laid up in a hospital bed somewhere from heart related illnesses. You gots to get with the program and do the job required to do what you are wanting to achieve.  If better heart health is it, do it. Walk for it. Run with it. Ride towards it. Kettlebell the inches off. Kut the krap and get your healthy heart-conscious eating and heart-pumping workout on. You can do anything you want so even if doubt comes to stand in your way, let your faith be the weapon that kills it and keep moving forward.

 

Thank you so much for stopping by and reading my blogpost. Please leave feedback with tips or comments in regards to health and maintaining it because we can all use the motivation if you are willing to share. By the way, if you liked the song at the beginning of this post, you can find more original music on my Reverbnation page here: Stephanay JNote's ReverbNation Page

 

May God continue to bless you in abundance.