Day 43: Six Clean 9-Throw Rounds

What a great practice! I had nowhere to be afterwards, so I was more relaxed and focused than yesterday. I’m now consistently at the 9-throw mark. I must not have a practice session without a clean 9-throw round again! (At least that is what I am aiming for).

I didn’t get a 9-throw round one after the other. In fact, the successes were pretty dispersed throughout my practice. It took me about ten minutes to get warmed up to the point where I felt comfortable going for 9 throws. Pinning my elbows in always helps, but even still, my 8th and 9th throws were often lower than they should be. This seems to be a recurring pattern! Any time I move forward two more throws, it always takes a while to get them just as high as the others. I better just accept that this will continue to happen.

I think it will take a while to really get 9 throws solid, but I don’t want to get stuck in a rut like I did with 7 throws. Once I can get a few 9-throws rounds in a row, I will consider moving on and pushing forward. I think when I get up to 10/11 throws, I will have to celebrate.

Can’t wait to see what tomorrow’s practice brings!

[Via http://learningfive.wordpress.com]

Day 41: Several Clean 9-Throw Rounds

Cool! I must be getting a lot better. I got up to 9 throws, catches and all, at least five times. At the start of my practice, I was dreading the same old humdrum solid 7 throws. I really had to do something to get beyond that number. I started out just releasing the 8th throw in any way I could. Just like I tell my students when they are stuck on a certain throw – it doesn’t matter where that next throws goes (and I don’t even care if they hit me with it!), they just need to get it out of their hand. That’s the only way to break out of the habit of stopping at a certain number.

So heeding my own advice, I literally forced myself to throw past 7, and it really worked. Once I broke through a few times, it just felt more comfortable and came more easily. Finally!! I’m only one throw away from 10!

I also paid attention to my arms, not only keeping them close into my side (like I usually do), but really limiting their lateral movement. I think this helped a lot as well, and encouraged me to throw fairly high, facilitating more throws.

Looking forward to getting more comfortable with 9 throws tomorrow!

[Via http://learningfive.wordpress.com]

IntenSati-Free class 3/3 at Movements Afoot NYC

Join us March 3 for a free class IntenSati 6:30 at Movements Afoot.

IntenSati is a revolutionary high-energy cardio workout created by Patricia Moreno. This class is a unique combination of aerobics, martial arts and endurance principles with positive affirmations. The result is an unprecedented practice which is empowering physically and mentally.

IntenSati has given me the conviction of anything is possible. This class has changed how I think about my body and control my mind to a new love and appreciation for Life.

‘Chantall Brachmann-Scott

Join us March 3 for a free class 6:30.  Please bring sneakers and a towel.

To Register

49 W. 27th St. Mezzanine B, New York City 212-904-1399

49 West 27th St. Mezzanine B

New York, NY 10001

212-904-1399

[Via http://movementsafootblog.com]

Aikido of Nebraska to host Open House March 20-21st

Aikido of Nebraska will be hosting an Open House on Mar 20-21st, Sat-Sun afternoon. The Open House will go from 12:00pm-3:00pm each day, and is open to all the public.  Attendees will be able to see a traditional Martial Arts Dojo, and view the students in regular practice.   Refreshments will be provided. 

Many people are intimidated by the thought of participating in a Martial Arts class.  The Open House is designed to help those  people see that training in the Martial Arts is an enjoyable and beneficial endeavor.  The student at Aikido of Nebraska is allowed to progress at their own pace and safety is at the forefront.  The Open House also allows people to see the rich culture of the Martial arts in an educational venue.  Attendees are encouraged to ask questions and find out everything they always wanted to know about the Martial Arts, and Aikido.

So come join us at the Aikido of Nebraska Open House, for a few hours of fun and education.  Details below;

Aikido of Nebraska, 4209 S. 33rd St.  Lincoln, NE.  68506

402-261-6655

info@aikidonebraska.org

Saturday, Mar 20 12:00pm-3:00pm

Sunday, Mar 21 12:00pm-3:00pm

[Via http://blog.aikidonebraska.org]

BURNOUT - Don't let this be YOU!

I’m done with being over-weight. I want to be thin and sexy. I want guys/girls to notice me. Right now I just blend into the background.  They don’t even see me. They look past me to get a peek at the girl/guy with the HOT body! I want to look like THAT!

I think I’ll get a gym membership and start working out. I really want to get in shape fast so I’m going to the gym everyday. As a matter of fact…I can go to the gym twice each day. I’ll go in the morning before work and then again after work everyday. I’m on a mission. Look out world! Here I come!!!

Hey, this working out thing is not so bad. Geesh! I’m getting REALLY tired. How long have I been doing this? What?! Only four minutes? OMG! I’ve got 56 more minutes to go?! Wait a minute! Look at all these HOT people n here. They’re doing it just like it’s nothing. OK…I’ve gotta get a hold of myself. I can do this! OK… I can’t do this. My head is about to explode! I’ve gotta stop. This is nuts! I’ll just come back after work.

Hmmm. Looks like the after-work gym crowd is a little different. Even MORE hot people. I’m a little intimidated but I’m determined to have that hot sexy body so I’m going to stick with it. Gosh this is tough…but I did it! I made it through a whole hour! Yay me! Tomorrow morning I’m going to workout for TWO hours.

Wow! Is it morning already? …O…M…G…! I am soooo incredibly SORE. I can’t move. I can’t keep doing this. Maybe it’s not so bad being overweight. After all…it’s who I am INSIDE that counts, right? This working out thing just isn’t for me.

BURNOUT – Don’t let this happen to YOU! If you burnout, you will never reach your goal.  Pace yourself. Do something active that you really enjoy. Give yourself a lifetime to lose weight and gain a healthy lifestyle. Slowly but surely you’ll get there and stay there!

-Jamme Morginn, Fitness Expert

Jamme is  creator of Jamme’s Crunk Fitness, The high-energy hip-hop dance workout that’s so much fun you forget that you are working out!

[Via http://crunkfitness.wordpress.com]

Eat What You Need, Part II

“Don’t dig your grave with your knife and fork.” – English Proverb

C.H.A.R.G.E. #036

What do you find comforting?  Is it work, play, worship, exercise or food?  Typically, we all turn to something to feel more at ease when life throws us a curve.  Several of my personal training clients will lift weights, go on a 10-mile run, or attend a yoga class in order to set things straight.  However, we all know those people (ourselves included) who choose unhealthy behaviors for comfort, especially food.  In essence, these behaviors temporarily help us feel loved, accepted and relieved of feelings of anxiety.

Knowing that food won’t actually meet any of our needs outside of fuel and nutrition, we often seek distraction from what we really need.  Do you know someone who has gained weight after the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, or enduring chronic pain?  I think we all do.  Food has a way of taking us to “another” place, even if it is for a very short time.  In Eat by Choice, Not by Habit, Haskvitz points out that when she asked her “class to make such a list (of comfort foods) they wrote:  oatmeal, mashed potatoes, pudding, and pumpkin pie, all of which met needs for nurturance, love and comfort.” 

Awareness is the key.  Once you can identify the need you are trying to satisfy with food, you have more options for meeting those needs.  For example, if you have a strained relationship with your mother, you may turn to comfort food to feel loved or nurtured.  At this point, Haskvitz suggests that you “…pause, breathe, and ask yourself:  How am I feeling?  What do I need?  Follow this with a request of yourself.  What choices are best for my individual health?  What other needs am I trying to satisfy with any of these dieting strategies?”  Then, you will be more open to address the issue(s) with your mother, if you so choose.

 C.H.A.R.G.E. Questions:  Where do you go to be comforted?  Of those “places”, which ones have a negative effect on your health?  What healthy behaviors could you engage in that would comfort you?  What will it take to start making those healthy decisions?  Where do you need more awareness?  How willing are you to make a change with your food intake once you have increased your awareness of what you need?

Eat by Choice, Not by Habit: Practical Skills for Creating a Healthy Relationship with Your Body and Food by Sylvia E. Haskvitz, M.A., R.D.

[Via http://maximumwellness.wordpress.com]

<i>The Chicago Tribune</i> Names First Lady Michelle Obama One of the 2010 <i>Good Eating Award</i> Winners

Post by: Audiegrl

Children from Bancroft Elementary School in Washington, D.C. help First Lady Michelle Obama plant the White House Vegetable Garden, April 9, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

Chicago Tribune~There’s a 1,100-square-foot organic vegetable, fruit and herb garden on the South Lawn of the White House. That patch of earth planted in March — the first time vegetables have been grown at the White House since Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency in the ’40s — has yielded 700-plus pounds of lettuce, radishes, tomatoes, collards and more for meals at the White House and a nearby homeless shelter.

That garden, first lady Michelle Obama told reporters, is “one of the greatest things that I’ve done in my life.” It also signaled the first lady’s efforts to improve America’s eating habits, tackle childhood obesity and encourage fitness. She began by bringing those efforts to her new home, where chef-working mom Cristeta Comerford runs the White House kitchen, by adding chef Sam Kass (whose track record includes work at Avec) to mentor her local-sustainable efforts.

Other first ladies have urged healthy eating at the White House ( Hillary Clinton pushed for a low-fat menu, while Laura Bush encouraged organic foods). But Michelle Obama has, in her first year, moved food and nutrition issues front and center. Her efforts dovetail with our appetite for the food-tube (she kicked off this year with an appearance on “Iron Chef America“) and America’s awareness that what you eat plays a major role in your health.

Looking for more stories on the First Lady? Check out our brand new section: FLOTUS: All Things Michelle Obama

[Via http://the44diaries.wordpress.com]