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| From Karen |
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Fall Fitness - Fresh Beginnings
I just love the fall. Don't you? For most people, fall is the real new year, as we begin to experience a renewed sense of excitement, fresh outlooks and a heightened spirit.
It also means our eating and training shifts. Funny thing is, most trainers and coaches don't understand this subtle difference, and they don't live intuitively in sync with the earth's cycles, rhythms and seasons! But as Warrior Women, we do!
With fall, our intuition opens, while our bodies move in the other direction, a dichotomy of sorts. And so our training must shift also.
So to all my on-line Warrior Women out there, wherever you live, keep your ear close to the earth and focus on what you wish to manifest this fall.
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Training Tip: Knees beyond toes? Sometimes |
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We are often told that the golden rule of any leg work is to not let your knees travel beyond your toes. Is this true? Yes and no.
See, there are some exercises where you break this golden rule, but this takes years of lifting to learn and apply correctly.
For instance, take the 
squat. Long legged, high-waisted people (and I don't mean tall people with long legs, I mean people whose legs are longer than they should be for their height) simply cannot keep knees behind toes when going to parallel or they fall on their backside! Problem is, most athletes or coaches don't understand this!
Being a good athlete means knowing what the rules are and then knowing how to break them! So learn the rules first, then find a qualified coach if you seem to be outside the 'norm' around certain lifting rules.
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spiritual - Forgive me! |
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In my monthly Healthy Living Program, we look at all aspects of health and wellness - physical, nutritional and spiritual. And for September, we are looking at the all powerful Universal truth called Forgiveness.
Yes, forgiveness is not an easy concept to practice. Why? Because sometimes we don't want to forgive. Perhaps the anger makes us feel powerful and in control (this is not real power, though, power uplifts and inspires), or we think if we forgive, we are condoning the hurt. Nothing can be further from the truth.
The concept of forgiveness is so powerful, and so needed in today's world, that I decided to share it with all of you on this newsletter, in hopes it can help to enlighten or inspire you too, and bring you to a place of peace and understanding. So please enjoy. It's my gift to you.
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| Do your goals reflect your desires? |
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With summer over, it's time for many of us to return to a consistent training and eating regime. But given all the choices of programs and such out there, how do you know what will serve you best?
When a client asks me what's the best program, I always ask one question: what are your goals? (We all want to be fit, lean and healthy, so that's usually not the answer I'm looking for). Do you want to run a marathon one day? Are you planning on biking through Spain for your 50th? Do you want to build strength for a specific sport? Or do you want to alter your body look in some way?
For me, years ago, the answer was easy: I wanted to be able to carve and shape my body at will, and to possess a physique like the athletes that surrounded me: shapely, lean, strong. Oh yeah, and I wanted to tighten my tush and have nice, strong shoulders and shapely legs. (I never had shapely legs my whole life, just straight, like a pipe!).
So I found my elixir in weight training. And I learned over the years that as you age, you actually get better with weight training (unlike long distance running - I did that for awhile too - that, in my opinion can age you and cause you to lose your shape and shapely muscle. I also tried Bootcamp and Crossfit, which that just didn't suit my aging body (or my aching joints!).
So determine what you truly want, in terms of both looks and performance, and find a sport / program that will give you that!
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Fitness vs Health: Two opposing forces...? |
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Last week I attended a Health Show in Victoria. Numerous supplement companies were there, touting their favourite formulas and blends, and some of my favourite industry icons were there including Brad King and Sam Graci, to name a few. But I walked away feeling a little out of sorts...again.
See, I did trade shows for a lot of years. After awhile, I pulled out of the whole scene, because it became apparent that 'health shows' were not about exercise or fitness, per se. In fact, fitness / exercise / activity was rarely mentioned. At these trade shows, health was mainly based on what you purchased and consumed. Hmmm....
Last week, I noticed the tide was slowly changing. There were a few fitness gals who have teamed up with some supplement companies (nice to see!) and I think it brought a new dynamic to the show. We need more blending like this, because in my humble opinion, supplements and vitamins are great, but the engine has to be moving for the fuel to work its magic. Don't you think?
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| September's Slow Cooker Beef stew! |
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It's that time of year, time to eat warm, earthy foods that build health and keep us eating in tune with Mother Nature! 
- 1 lb round steak in 1" pieces
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 tsp minced garlic
- 2 cups potatoes, cut into 3/4 inch chunks
- 4 celery sticks, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
Rub the meat with oil, salt and pepper. Set aside at room temp. Prepare all vegetables and add them to the slow cooker. Place round steak on top of veggies. .Add broth, wine, tomatoes, thyme, bay leave and salt and pepper. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or until meat is fork tender. Recommend a 4-6 quart slow cooker.
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| Book corner |
| - Brad King |
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Ever wonder why some people do diet after diet, listening to what the experts say, but nothing seems to work? Brad King knows why, and he tells it all in his latest book, 'Dirty Diets'.
Nutritionist, lecturer, best-selling author and fitness guy Brad King lays it all out here, as he debunks what he calls the 'magic potions and silver bullets' in the multi-billion dollar diet industry (some hints: low-fat foods do NOT help you to lose weight, protein is highly underrated and an absolute necessity, and we've got it all wrong in the fat supplementation department! It's all here, with the usual latest research, which Brad is well known for. He certainly has it all covered in this book!
Brad King is someone who knows the real deal about proper eating, and his books are not based on the usual regurgitated stuff put out by an industry only looking to improve their bottom line (not yours). |
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What's coming up! |
My ever-popular 10-Week Best Shape of Your Life Challenge starts next week, and as usual, it's a busy time!
Why so busy? Because the Fall Challenge is truly the busiest of all Challenges, likely because we've all been a little 'off' the past 10 weeks or so. I know I have been! How about you?
"Karen, I am so impressed with the Challenge. I had no idea how full on it was in all aspects, not just training and eating but you delved into the emotional and spiritual aspects of life - MY life - that was missing! Not only did I lighten and tighten this 40+ body of mine, I walked away feeling more at peace and aware of my life and all its dealings. Thank you so much! See you on your Monthly program! I'm a lifer now!" - Julie Brentwood, Colorado.
We kick off next Monday, September 15th, so sign up NOW! It's the NEW way to train on-line! And it WORKS! 
The 12-Week Advanced Challenge is starting too, (for those who have completed the 10-Week Challenge!) For the serious woman wanting serious results! We ramp it up in this one, for sure!
Join us! We'd love to have you!
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