Optimal Health for the Optimal Mom!

As a busy mom with two busy kids, I understand the importance of good health for myself. It’s important to not only set an example for our kids but to also maintain our physical, mental and emotional health so we can be the best we can be.

Putting yourself first can be a tall order. There is always so much to do…..laundry, cleaning, business tasks, carpooling, homework…where to fit it in? It’s all about planning, time management and actually making YOU a priority. We start by putting ourselves on our personal schedule.

Take a moment to sit down and document your daily and weekly schedule on paper. Include everything and be realistic. Even include meals and mealtimes. Do you see enough time for yourself on there?

We have to be honest with ourselves and put our health – mental, emotional and physical – first. So what to do? First step: start yoga. Some of you already have an exercise regime and I’m not suggesting you give it up. I’m only suggesting that you try yoga at least twice a week. Why? Because it’s the cornerstone to all fitness programs; incorporating body, mind and spirit. Affording you that space to stop, breathe and experience clarity, if for only an hour a day. I know running or weight lifting seemingly has the same effect but until you try yoga, you cannot possibly experience the difference.

Clarity is what we crave on busy days, during chaotic moments and in the midst of change or perceived turmoil. Yoga births clarity and clarity shines on our best Self. Once you have a disciplined practice of yoga, or even just 5 minutes of yoga breathing plus a few moves you can do at home, you begin to easily fit YOU into YOUR life. You begin to make changes, time opens up for you, you make better choices about what to eat, when to go to bed and how to parent your children.
I’ve listed here, examples of a few simple things you can begin incorporating into your life right now and see changes immediately.

* Go to a yoga class at least twice a week. If you can’t go to yoga, schedule 30 minutes, twice a week to do some breathing exercises, 4 rounds of Cat/Cow and Sun Salutations.

Click on this link for more information on how to perform these poses properly.

* Cut (or limit drastically) sugar, caffeine, alcohol, white bread and processed foods out of your diet. Increase your vegetable intake; drink at least half your weight in ounces of water a day. (150 pounds: drink 75 ounces of water)

* Purchase a notebook that is appealing to you and begin journaling at least twice a week about your dreams, your life, and your interests. Taking the time to remind yourself of these things feeds your soul.

We all are busy trying to be the best for everyone else, a good example to our kids, an exemplary business owner, an attentive wife…what about YOU? If you can begin incorporating even one of these things into your daily life, I guarantee you will see a drastic change in who you are and the time you have available each day.

Yoga to Open your Heart

Here is a yoga meditation exercise to open your heart to give and receive more love. It is from the book - "The Eight Human Talents." You can repeat the movement 26 times focusing on your third eye point.

The important thing to realize about heart opening is that it’s totally natural for our spirit and utterly unnatural for our body. The latter is due to the fact that we have so many heart-closing daily activities in our culture. The main problem is that we sit in chairs most of the time. We even sit in one as we drive! This chair sitting tends to cause us to tuck our tailbone under and that action the rounds us and causes us to hunch our shoulders forward. Using a computer mouse at a desk or looking down and texting on a smart phone also tends to have the same effect. We roll our shoulders forward and inward.

To get the heart open, you need to reverse this chest collapsing, You need to elongate the front of your torso upward away from your waistline and then draw your shoulder blades down your back. This takes the head of your arm bones back and let’s your chest open. It causes your collar bones to “smile,” that is, to widen.

There are many more active ways you can do this heart-opening action, but here I’m sharing the most restorative version, so you’ll have no excuse not to do it (sneaky me!).

Think you’re too tired? This supine pose is perfect! You do it lying down and you simply allow gravity to help you open your heart by using either a bolster or blocks to press into the back of your chest and elevate and expand the front.

If you need a little motivation, keep this in mind: heart opening exercises give you a kick of the happy body-produced hormone oxytocin. So don’t be surprised if, a little while after you’ve done this pose, you’re smiling for no reason.

Mental Concepts of Yoga Training

Most modern yoga practitioners learn about the deeper ideas that comprise a traditional yogic practice fairly gradually. Most become familiar with certain principles but still only regularly practice asana (poses), pranayama (breathing), and limited forms of dharana (mantras) or dhyana (meditation). Clearly, restricting our practice to the poses themselves along with some combination of meditation and deep breathing leaves out a great deal of the internal elements of yoga training. To find out the deeper affects of practicing all 8 limbs of yoga, read on!


Although modern yoga practice primarily focuses on the physical practice of postures accompanied by meditation and breathing techniques, traditionally, yoga involved much more than that. For example, Patanjali writes in his ancient text, the Yoga Sutras, that yogic practices are comprised of eight limbs. Thus, the modernized version of yogic methodology that most people are familiar with has actually been simplified a great deal. This can easily be seen in what comprises Patanjali’s eight limbs: Yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi.

The first two limbs comprise moral and ethical values while the next two, asana and pranayama, relate to the body through physical postures and breathing techniques. The next four limbs all have to do with the mind. Many students find pratyahara, the mental withdrawal from the five senses, to be particularly interesting since it combines the external and the internal in a unique way. Dharana and dhyana represent concentration and meditation while samadhi culminates in a heightened form of meditation.

Mental Concepts

Ultimately, most modern practitioners learn about the deeper ideas that comprise a traditional yogic practice fairly gradually. Most become familiar with certain principles but still only regularly practice asana, pranayama, and limited forms of dharana or dhyana. Clearly, restricting our practice to the poses themselves along with some combination of meditation and deep breathing leaves out a great deal of the internal elements of yoga training.

Although the Yoga Sutras are not the only ancient text that expounds on ideas behind yogic philpsophy, many yoga schools turn to it for its basic information on the mental concepts of yoga. It teaches that in combination with the ethical and physical disciplines of yoga, the yogi’s mind must learn to shed awareness of external factors, which is hard to do with all the sensory input we are used to. After achieving a withdrawal of the mind from the senses, the mind must learn to concentrate. However, this is not the sort of concentration that, say, studying for a test would require; instead, the student must turn that concentration internal. Often, this is done in combination with asana as the student holds a pose and concentrates on what is going on inside the body during that pose.

Eventually, the student will begin practicing meditation but must constantly fight his or her own wandering mind. With the daily onslaught of quick-succession media images that today’s students face, it has become quite a struggle for us to discipline our minds to the art of meditation. This is probably one reason that the mental concepts of yoga do not get as much attention with the practitioners of today. However, as yoga becomes more widespread and better understood, we can expect for these aspects to become more of a regularly taught as part of the yogic disciplines.

What Type of Fitness Chick are You?

As the ancient Greeks said, “know thyself.” Nothing could be more true when it comes to fitness. Routines and preferences are great because it”s so much easier to motivate for a workout when you actually enjoy doing it. But often people focus on only one type of workout, and their body acclimates, making it harder to get results. Think of fitness as a three-legged stool. In order to improve your physique and health, you have to work all three areas: flexibility, strength, and cardiovascular. Read on to discover your fit girl type and see how to get results faster by knowing what works best for you, and how to hit all three areas of fitness while remaining true to your gym style.

The Guru

In her gym bag: Yoga mat, Lululemon zip-up.

This type of fit chick likes to work out when there is a spirit-body or mind-body connection. Results for her are secondary to the spiritual quest she is on. She wants to feel fit and strong but isn’t really interested in body worship, and she may find a weight room full of barking dudes intimidating. She is most at home in her yoga class routine.

Yoga is an amazing workout tool, increasing strength and flexibility as well as the mind-body connection. But yoga offers little cardio work. Try to branch out and try different styles of yoga. Bikram and Core Power are some of the more physically strenuous yoga styles. Classes like SoulCycle that have both strength and cardio components with a more spiritual and less “gym-y” bent could be a good choice. You can also take your meditation practice on the road and get out in nature for a hike and some body-weight resistance exercises.

The Gladiatrix

In her gym bag: Any kind of gadget for tracking macronutrients and workouts, protein powder.

This fit chick lives to sweat. She loves the gym, loves her routine, even squeals a little when her new supplements come in the mail. She lives for results and isn’t afraid to lift weights with the boys.

This type usually has high motivation but can be neglectful of flexibility. By incorporating a weekly flexibility/breath-centered yoga class you can release lactic acid stored in your muscles and prevent workout related injuries that would otherwise slow down your gym progress.

The Gazelle

In her gym bag: custom running shoes, new songs for her encyclopedic “running” playlist.

This fitness type loves long-form cardio. She may be a long distance runner who lives for the mental clarity she gets on mile five, or she may be a slave to the elliptical who is all about the “calories burned” number on the cardio machine display.

Both types of “gazelles” need to make sure they are incorporating a strength training routine to keep their metabolism up. Lots of long-form cardio can put your body in an catabolic state where it burns muscle tissue instead of fat for the energy you need during a long run. This loss of muscle tissue can lead to a metabolism slow-down, decreased strength, and eventual weight gain. Try a TRX class if weightlifting seems boring to you.



When it comes to fitness, you have to know what works for you. Know your fitness type and then make sure you are working out all three areas of fitness (cardio, strength, and flexibility) to avoid getting into a rut. You’ll reach your health and fitness goals faster.

Why Everyone Should Do Yoga

It’s hard to believe that at one point in my career people thought I shouldn’t do a yoga video. The resistance at the time was understandable – the practice was new to many people, and may have seemed like a passing fad. But I had a feeling Americans were ready to reap the endless benefits of yoga that had been enjoyed in other parts of the world for centuries.

I hate to say, “I told you so.” But in 2001, only 4 million Americans were practicing yoga. Last year that number skyrocketed to 20 million! Needless to say, this “fad” is here to stay. So let’s take a closer look…

What’s it all about? 

In the 15th century, Yogi Swatmarama developed Hatha Yoga in India as a means of purifying the body though alignment, balance, strength and flexibility. And while it sometimes weaves in Hindi and Buddhist ideas, yoga is a philosophy, not a religion, and can be practiced by anyone, regardless of your spiritual background.

What are the benefits? 

Yoga will improve your balance, strength, coordination, flexibility, cardiovascular health and physical confidence. It’s a must for anyone suffering from aches, pains or too much tension. In a review study of 10 randomized clinical trials, 9 out of 10 found that yoga provided them with pain relief.

Why not just stretch? 

While flexibility is a major component of yoga, it’s about much more than just stretching and physical postures. The word “yoga” means “union,” as in the union of mind and body. That’s what makes it so special – unlike other forms of exercise; yoga isn’t just about the physical. It takes things a step further by focusing on the mind/body connection.

Where do I start? 

With all the styles and variations available to modern-day yogis, it can be a little overwhelming. “Hatha” is an umbrella term for most modern styles, and is sometimes used as a label for more gentle versions of the practice. “Ashtanga” (sometimes called “Vinyasa” or “Power Yoga”) is more focused on physical strength. “Bikram” uses hot, sauna-like temperatures for more sweat while you stretch; and “Iyengar” is focused more on posture and alignment.

Holistic Exercise Centers Your Life

Holistic exercise may sound confusing. Basically, holistic means combining exercise that helps develop your body and mind. For instance, a gentle exercise routine that combines stretching, visualization, breathing techniques and meditation is considered to be a holistic exercise.

Are you trying to approach life in a more holistic way? Bringing your mind, body and spirit in perfect balance? If you are interested in a holistic lifestyle, one area that you need to consider is bringing more balance into your exercise routine. Exercise is a great way to balance your life, and it's easy when you add holistic exercises.

All this may be new to you and may sound confusing. Basically, holistic means combining exercise that helps develop your body, mind and spirit. For instance, a gentle exercise routine that combines stretching, visualization, breathing techniques and meditation is considered to be a holistic exercise that centers and brings balance to your life.

There are a variety of exercise techniques that combine all the elements into a holistic exercise routine. One example is dynamic stretching. With dynamic stretching, you use movement and muscle effort to build your stretch. This type of stretching techniques includes gentle movements, unlike harsh bouncing actions that could damage muscles. You combine this stretching technique with breathing exercises to produce a holistic routine.

As an example, gentle arm circles, side bends, leg swing or walking lunges are all part of a dynamic stretching routine. The combination of movement with the stretch produces a much stronger stretch and reduces muscle tightness. Dynamic stretches are great to use before participating in another sport, such as tennis or golf. In fact, this type of stretching greatly decreases the event of muscle tearing, muscle aches, or injury.

Another example of holistic exercise is a combined dynamic stretching, static stretching and core stability program.

Dynamic stretching techniques are useful at the beginning of a workout routine, with static stretches being performed at the end of the workout. These techniques will help reduce muscle soreness, and increase flexibility. A holistic exercise routine also increases your overall muscle strength. The increased muscle strength helps improve sports performance, such as in golfing, tennis, or swimming.

Stretching activities lengthen muscles and tendons, giving greater flexibility, improving balance, and stamina. In essence, a good dynamic stretching program can substantially add value to your life. A holistic exercise approach helps you release tension and become more centered.

You'll be amazed at the difference dynamic stretching can make in your life - it helps you with everyday activities, increases performance in sports, and assists to create a calm, centered demeanor. Who could resist this holistic exercise approach?

Shadow Yoga ‘Yoga of the Shadow Man’

The name Shadow Yoga is derived from ‘Yoga of the Shadow Man’ and deals with the intricate manifestations of the shadow and their significance both inside and outside the human organism.

The teaching is based on the following body positions and movements for the proper development of breath: standing, sitting, lying (face-down, face-up, on-sides), sideways (lateral), inversions, turning & twisting, pumping, weighing, forwards, backwards and spiral.

The twelve positions and movements have been adapted from martial arts, dance and the crafts of life... and from the plant and animal kingdoms. The appropriate combination of these activities, with suitable rhythm and positioning, brings about the unfolding of the inner powers hidden in the individual.

4 Easy Types of Morning Exercise

Waking up early to squeeze in some morning exercise is hard enough as it is, never mind mustering up the energy and willpower to make it through an hour long kickboxing class or treadmill run. If you’re looking to work out in the morning hours, doing some type of easy morning exercise is key to sticking to your plan. Consider doing some of the following kinds of exercise after your morning alarm goes off.

1. Mat Based Pilates

Pilates is a great early morning exercise because it doesn’t require an extreme amount of cardiovascular endurance. While you have to be focused when doing pilates, it doesn’t require the same amount of stamina as, say, a step aerobics class. Since you’ll be laying down on a mat for most of a pilates session, it’s to mentally prepare for pilates after you get out of bed. There are an abundance of Pilates workout DVDs available, making your morning exercise even easier since you don’t have to leave home.

2. Yoga
Like Pilates, yoga is also a great form of morning exercise since sessions typically begin with simple and relaxing moves before progressing into those that are more difficult. Yoga allows your body to wake up. With the mind and body connection, yoga will get you both mentally and physically prepared to take on the day. Even more, the stretching component will simply feel good first thing in the morning. You can do a video at home or take a morning class at your local gym or yoga studio.

3. Walking

Taking a brisk morning walk does more than just give you a good physical workout. Getting outside for some fresh air first thing in the morning can do wonders for your mood and state of mind as well. All you have to do is throw on some clothes and decent walking shoes and take a stroll wherever you wish (your own neighborhood, a park, the local high school track, etc.). Walking generally puts your mind at ease, making it easier to actually get up and take them on a regular basis. It’s the type of exercise that doesn’t feel like exercise–and the kind that you might actually look forward to doing on a daily basis. You can’t beat that.

4. Swimming

Swimming gentle laps at your local health club or YMCA makes for easy morning exercise because you can set your own pace. Unlike more intense forms of cardio (aerobic classes, running on treadmill), you can adjust your pace as you swim. If you’re looking for an easy morning workout, swimming slow laps in the pool can be a relaxing way to start the day. You’ll still reap the physical benefits without feeling tired or worn out in the process.

The more you workout in the morning, the easier it’ll become to stick with your routine. You can keep the intensity low or ramp it up as you become more accustomed to a.m. exercise.

What are the Differences between Yoga and Pilates

Learn the differences between yoga and Pilates in this Howcast workout video.

Nearly 20.4 million people were practicing Yoga in the U.S. in 2012, according to The Huffington Post, and those numbers are likely even higher now as yoga is at an all-time height of popularity.

Pilates, too, is rising in popularity. Yoga may have a bigger following right now but with celebrity Pilates teachers like Tracy Anderson and participants such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna, and Jennifer Aniston, yoga may have some competition.

The good news is that you don’t have to choose between the two. A lot of people practice both yoga and Pilates to get just the right balance of benefits.Ever wondered if Yoga or Pilates would serve you better in your exercise routine? 

The Breakdown: Yoga Vs. Pilates

Part scientist, part mechanical genius, and part anatomist, Joseph Pilates paired his method with a variety of equipment that he referred to as “apparatus.” Yoga in the West has also recently adopted the practice of using equipment such as straps, blocks, bolsters, and eye pillows. While it’s possible that Pilates may in some ways inspire yoga, yoga certainly inspired Pilates. Pilates himself studied yoga, and his writing indicates that it was his intention to unify mind, body, and spirit, and as a result, many of the benefits of the two technologies are similar.

Both Pilates and yoga offer stress-relief, flexibility, strength, control, and endurance. The biggest difference between the two is the emphasis on the spiritual component in classes. Outside of Yoga-laties, most Pilates classes don’t offer an obvious spiritual experience, however, Pilates may be a great starting point or compliment for a yoga practice. The slower pace of a Pilates class can be meditative and stress relieving.

Pilates: Pilates classes focus on strength, muscle toning, body control, and flexibility, with the main emphasis being core strength. Pilates is a disciplined practice that needs to be done on a regular basis to provide benefit. If you like a more structured workout without the cardio component, chanting, OMing, or complex postures, this could be the workout for you.

Yoga: On the other hand, yoga focuses on flexibility and broad muscle groups. It offers balance, endurance, strength, spirituality, and some really physical movement. Classes can range from gentle and nourishing to challenging and sweaty. With all the variety, there is always a class and a style for everyone. If you like to move and you’re a go-with-the-flow kind of person, yoga might just be your ticket.

The Perfect Combo

The question remains—should you practice yoga or Pilates? Why choose a practice when you can have the benefit of both? Although I practice some form of yoga almost every day, I also incorporate one or two Pilates sessions into my workouts each week. I enjoy the flexibility, freedom, and challenge of yoga, as well as the attention to detail and ab work that Pilates provides.

Consider your fitness priorities and level, and build your practice from there. If you’re in great shape and want to burn extra calories and work on endurance, a Hatha, Vinyasa, or Anusara yoga class would be ideal. If you’re a runner and need to fine-tune your core strength, then Pilates may be the best choice. The main thing is that you want to pick a practice that you enjoy and that you can do on a regular basis.

The 5 Tibetans Exercise

 The 5 Tibetan Rites is an ancient exercise system believed to come from Tibetan monks. Based on five yoga moves, these exercises, or rites, give you a renewed sense of energy and vitality by activating and stimulating the seven key energy vortexes, or chakras, in the body, which in turn stimulate all the glands of the endocrine system, (the system that influences almost every cell, organ and function of our bodies).Typically 21 reps are performed of each rite, taking about 15-20 minutes to complete. In this video, 12 reps are performed of each exercise allowing you do it along with the host.

Yoga Diet: Eating For Optimum Health And Vitality

Yoga is not only an exercise practice, it’s also a way of life that engage health and vitality. One of the most important parts of keeping our bodies ready to do the physical side of a yoga practice is to follow a healthy eating plan, and if possible a yoga diet. This is a vegetarian diet that is full of pure and simple foods. The yoga diet focuses on natural foods grown in fertile soil free from chemicals and pesticides. These types of food provide our bodies with the nutrients that we require. It also educate us to keep calm.

The yoga diet is vegeterian, and the philosophy behind this focuses on the origin of all nutrients. The sun is the source of all energy that exists on this planet. The golden rays from the sun nourish the plants, which are then eaten by herbivores. The herbivores are then eaten by the carnivores, creating the cycle that we know as the “Food chain.” The tenets of the yoga diet tells us that the food at the top of the food chain is the plants (not usually what we think of as being at the top!) because they are directly nourished by the sun. These foods have the greatest nutritional content and life promoting properties. They are the best things that we can put into our bodies.

The flesh of the animals that we consume are also full of nutrients. However, the yoga diet philosophy is that these foods are secondary sources of energy, because the nutrients they contain come through the food the animals eat and are absorbed into their body, before they are passed on to us when we eat the meat. The nutrients we get from the flesh of animals are “second-hand” and thus inferior.

Yogis strive to eat natural, unprocessed foods such as seeds, nuts, grains, fruits and vegetables. These foods provide us with the protein and nutrients that our body craves. These are simple foods, and the body is able to easily digest them.

When you start eating meat, the second-hand source of nutrients and protein, the body struggles to digest these foods. This is less valuable to our body’s metabolism and will leave you sluggish and fatigued.

Today even elite athletes are turning to a vegetarian diet to fuel their bodies for high performance. Some of the most notable athletes following the vegetarian diet are  ultra athlete Rich Roll (one of the worlds fittest men) and Tim Shieff (professional Free Runner).

Going vegetarian is a good first step in your quest for health and fitness, but the yoga diet is even more structured. In addition to being concerned with the effects of foods on the body, the yoga diet is focused on the effect that food has on our mental state. There are three types of food that that yoga diet recognizes, Sattvic food, Rajastic food and Tamasic food. The philosophy of the yoga diet is to keep the body and mind sharp, we must avoid foods that are over-stimulating.

Sattvic Food

The foods that are sattivic are the purest that we can eat, and they include cereals, whole grain breads, fruit and vegetables, milk, pressed fruit juices, cheese, butter, nuts, legumes, seeds, sprouted seeds, honey and herbal teas. These foods nourish our minds and bodies and keep them in a peaceful state. A strictly sattivic yoga diet is believed to be the best way to achieve the ultimate health of the mind and body, and allow both to reach the ultimate potential. These foods increase the mind-body connection, and support a flow of energy between the two.

Rajasic Food

Rajastic foods are foods that break down the mind-body balance that we seek to create with yoga. These are foods that stimulate the body negatively and excite the passions, which leads to an uncontrolled and undisciplined mind. These are foods that are extreme in any way. For example they are very hot, bitter, sour, dry or salty. Foods to avoid include strong spices and herbs, coffee and non-herbal tea, fish, eggs, salt and chocolate.

Eating quickly is also considered rajasic, and the yoga diet emphasizes that it is important to slow down while consuming nutrients. Its important to give your body adequate time to encourage proper digestion.

Tamasic Food

Tamasic foods are foods that not only do not benefit the mind and body, they actually actively cause damage. These foods include meat, alcohol, onions, garlic and fermented foods. These foods cause prana (energy) to withdraw from the body, which causes the mind to become clouded. These foods increase fatigue and sever the strong connection between mind and body. This causes a drop in immunity, and can cause mood swings. Overeating is also considered Tamasic, and we should strive to only consume what our body needs.

If you are seeking to bring your diet in line with the principles of the yoga diet, remember that changes can occur gradually. Start by designating a day or two of the week to avoid meat and other tamasic foods.