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| From Karen |
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Be a Woman of Courage!
The name of March comes from ancient Rome, when March was the first month of the year and named Martius after Mars, or Ares, the Greek God of war. March was the first month of spring...a logical point for the beginning of the year, as well as the start of the military campaign season.
Hence, March has come to represent courage.
Ah yes, courage. What is it and how do we define it? The way I see it, anyone who does something in the presence of fear is courageous, whether that means sky diving, public speaking, going back to college as a mature student, or just speaking up when you normally wouldn't.
I see it every day, in the dozens of women on my programs who have the courage to want to change their bodies and their lives. And yes, many times they fall off the healthy bandwagon, and believe me, we all fall off. The key is that the truly courageous ones are the ones that get back on, and many times at that. Now THAT takes courage.
This newsletter is devoted to all you women (and men) who have the courage to want to better your health and who are taking strides to do it. Give yourself a pat on those amazingly strong backs of yours. You truly deserve it!
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Training Tip: Breathe... |
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How should you breathe when you lift? This is what I tell my clients - breathe naturally.
I know most trainers teach that you should exhale on exertion (the hard part of the lift) and breathe in upon return, and this certainly works for a good majority of the population, but it's not written in stone. What if you're doing supersets and you're going back to back fast...if you adopt that rule, you're likely to pass out! Kinda like doing the crawl in swimming....if you breathe every time you do a stroke, you'll hyperventilate, so coaches suggest you breathe every second stroke or so, depending on how fast you're moving. It's the same with lifting....it's ok to hold your breathe through several lifts.
Holding your breathe is particularly important in squats. Intuitively I always held my breath, as it seemed to help me lift, but I was told that was wrong (no, I didn't listen). Finally sports science caught up and has proven this to be a good thing...see when you're at the bottom of the lift, if you hold your breathe, you're creating a pressure against your abdomen that actually helps with the lift, protects the back and keeps your core tight. And it powers you up.
So as usual, don't take everything you hear as gospel when in the gym. Some rules are meant to be broken (and I love breaking the rules!) :)
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| spiritual stuff: Know what you really want. |
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Last week I was given the gift of a lifetime...and I turned it down.
While at the Health Show, a well-known health celebrity offered to take my new book to his publisher, one of the biggest in the market (no names, please). Now this is a really big deal, because to get your book into the hands of a big-name publisher is a dream come true for writers. There are over 240,000 books written every year, and most of them are passed by. You gotta know someone (or be famous) to even get looked at!
Then my friend called me that night and left me a phone message: "Hi Karen, it's .........Loved your book, but I just want to chat with you. I want you to be very clear on what you really, really want. Do you really want this? They (the publishing house) will likely want to re-write it, you sign over control, and the current book, as it is, is out of circulation. For good. It's their deal, totally. They will do what they want with your book, but you could make a best-seller out of it. (That means 50,000 copies in Canada).
I went home and thought about it. My book was a labour of love. It is my gift to my son and others. But you could make a lot of money. It's my inspiration for all women going through challenges. But you could have the next best-seller! It was 18 months in the making, with personal essays and perspectives I own. But you could do the lecture circuit.
After 24 hours, I made my decision. I gratefully declined the kind offer. I would forgo the fame and fortune and keep my book as it is.
Ten years ago I would have jumped at the chance of fame and money. Today, it's all about staying proud of myself, and staying on my path toward wholeness and realness. I long ago gave up on being seduced by money and fame...I saw it in lots of people around me. If it's meant to come, it'll come.
So I'll continue to pedal my book out of the back of my van. Besides, I'll let them publish my next book!
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| She's Doing it! |
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When I started my Challenges in Jan 2012 I had no idea the far-reaching potential of it all.
 Yuri H. lives in Metepec, Mexico. When she inquired about the Challenge through Facebook, I wasn't sure...at first, I thought the language barrier would be an issue, as she spoke broken English (and I speak absolutely no Spanish), but we decided to give it a try. It was some work, at first.
When she would email questions, I often needed further clarification. She had to have her husband to translate the lessons for her, and sometimes our emails missed each other in cyberspace. But in the end, it all worked out beautifully.
This courageous woman from Mexico who found me on Facebook took a big chance, and it paid off. "I have lost 6% bodyfat and 8 pounds", Yuri emailed me, and she went from a size 6 to a size 4. She wants to lose a total of 10%. She admits she sometimes loses motivation, but she is very happy with her progress and the program. This is truly a woman of incredible courage and conviction.
Thank you Yuri for all your efforts, your trust in our program and all your input. It's been a sheer pleasure having you on board and I wish you all the success in the world.
The next 10-and 12 Week Challenges start April 9th. These are the last ones until the Fall. Get Summer-Shape Ready! Join us! |
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article: Know Thyself |
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In our programs, we learn about ourselves - our beliefs, values, challenges and desires. We also take a hard, objective look at our physiques and determine what single body part we want to bring up, and then I help them create a workout around that lagging bodypart. There's an art and a science to it, and I want my gals to reach their fullest potential.
See, the greatest athletes (and people, for that matter) are the ones who take the time to know themselves deeply. They are objective, they ask the hard questions and they want to change themselves. In a nutshell, they are the bravest women I know.
It's not bravery to have genetic potential and slide into that potential with ease. The brave one is the one who fights against the odds - excess weight, children, work, poor genetics, a sluggish metabolism - and still forge on, day in and day out. These women have a deep desire to induce change and to really learn about their individual body and what it needs in the way of building shapely muscle, recovery, metabolism, how certain foods and environments affect them, how to control cravings and more.
I work with such women every day - courageous, beautiful women asking, no, demanding more of themselves and the world at large. Thank you ladies, you are truly inspiring.
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| RECIPE: Spaghetti The (Clean) Way. |
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I try to stay lean all year round (whtin 10 pounds of my best weight) and the first thing that goes is bread. The next is pasta. I like pasta but I find I have to limit it to once every few weeks or the weight creeps up. This is how I prepare my pasta dinner (you might want to try it next time).
I call it my Pasta Salad and it's real easy: I use corn pasta (Mrs. Leepers) because it's lighter and has no wheat. I cook up a bunch of buffalo, lamb or turkey meat, and if I'm in a hurry, I 'cheat' with a ready-made sauce like Safeway O brand or other (usually) organic sauce in a jar (I don't like cans because of the health issues).
I put about 2 cups of salad into a bowl, and some fresh raw veggies like peppers (my favourite) or carrots on top, then I put in only about 1 cup of pasta only (no need for more), and pour the sauce on top. Now it looks and acts like spaghetti but it's lighter, clean and very filling with all the salad. And your family still gets to sit down and enjoy spaghetti dinner with you (when we're clean eating, we still want to eat with our family, even if we don't eat the exact same thing).
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| Book corner |
| - Thomas Moore |
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Every human journey is filled with emotional tunnels: the loss of a loved one or end of a relationship, aging and illness, career disappointments or just an ongoing sense of dissatisfaction with life. Society tends to view these "dark nights" in clinical terms as obstacles to be overcome as quickly as possible. But Thomas Moore's extensive career as a psychologist and theologian has taught him that honoring these periods of fragility as periods of incubation and opportunities to delve the soul's deepest needs can provide healing and a new understanding of life's meaning.
(This book was the missing link for me and helped me in the writing of my own book).
Dark Nights of the Soul presents these metaphoric dark nights not as the enemy, but as times of transition, occasions to restore yourself, and transforming rites of passage. Moore shows specific ways to engage life more deeply through particular challenges and shares powerful new tools to use.
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What's Coming up! |
Want to make extra $$$ while living the FIT Life?! 
Do you love fitness and love to share it? Do you want to make extra money in the comfort of your own home, be your own boss and learn and train with me? Do you want to live with health, passion and purpose? Do you want a flexible work environment, something that you can do anywhere anytime, no strings, no bosses, no pressure? Cool. We'll chat some more soon..... In the meantime - DOWNLOAD HERE for more INFO!
Healthy Living Program Members - your NEW March Workout is here! Videos, articles, recipes, and don't forget about our Tele-Coaching session on March 6th, 7 pm The Last 10 Pounds! The closer we get to our goals, the harder it is to lose them. Why? I'll tell you, and give you tools to get your fat loss moving again!
For more info, GO HERE!
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