Year One! (Summer of 2013)

Hello fellow bloggers and readers this is a special post today. I have been blogging for a year now and have no plans to stop. Also I will share my Summer of 2013 which was pretty interesting as well.

So first of all its been a year since I have started blogging and its been an interesting activity. I am a avid reader of other blogs and thought it would be fun to join this community of writers. I have learned a lot about how and what to write. Blogging is a great way to share your insight with others and help inspire and teach along the way. Since I am in school my postings are not consistent as I would like them to be. But when I do I make sure its substantial.

My tool for all of my Blogs.

I can see how some people can get paid and some who should get paid. I like do it to keep my writing skills fresh and finely tuned so when the time comes to profit from it I can. When the time comes it will be a seamless transition.

So I wonder to myself what to write about next? I have so many ideas and get inspiration from conversations I have and well as in my own mind. Even you readers and fellow bloggers can provide some input and advice, its all good!

Sharing ideas makes us all successful!

Now on to this Summer! Usually I go take a trip somewhere aboard. I always focus on external aspects of things but this year has been quite internal. This year the trip was mental and managed to dig up a lot of interesting things that sort of held me back. I ended up purging a lot of things that have been lingering on in my life. This was also a time I used to throw away a lot of old things that have been piling up in my apartment. I ended up throwing away seven years worth of junk! This helped pave the way for new energy to flow in and all that stagnant stuff has been eradicated. I must say it was very therapeutic. So the Summer was still great even though I didn’t really go anywhere.

This year the Travel was internal.

Well thats it for now! Thanks to all my readers and followers, also my fellow bloggers who inspire me to keep it up.

Thanks for an awesome year!

Dean

A Healthy Relationship With Your Body

Hello Everyone! School is out for the Summer! So now its time to Blog!

The first post for the Summer is all about having a healthy relationship with our body.

I want to ask you a serious question, how well do you know your body? Do you treat it well? Take it for granted? Is just for getting around in? Well today we are going to discuss someways you can start if you haven’t; a healthy relationship with your body. If you have read my story  I have come a long way. So now I want to share you with some tips on how to embrace your body and not just use it for getting around in.

• Get a physical on your birthday month, this is the best way to start. I know some people are not fans of Doctors as the fear of bad news. How will you know if anything is wrong if you don’t get checked out?

Annual check-ups are important!

• Eating properly! There is a term used nowadays which is YOLO (You Only Live Once) I am all about seizing the moment but don’t use it as an excuse to eat and drink yourself into a unhealthy lifestyle.

Click the picture for the guide!

• Sleep Hygiene or getting rest and sleeping properly at a certain time. Getting enough rest is important and as a New Yorker we tend to go hard everyday without thinking about resting ourselves. This link here provides some tips to help you figure it out.

Counting Sheep! Get it?

• Personal Hygiene, thats right taking showers, cutting your hair (if needed) and generally keeping yourself clean. As simple as it sounds keeping clean keeps dirt and bacteria away that causes disease and infections. Also if you look good you will feel good too. Some good information about it can be found here.

Showers are your friend!

• Finally Fitness! My favorite topic. Exercise is natural medicine which will help aliments and prolong your longevity. Do some form of exercise that you will look forward too. I like Bike Riding if the weathers nice I make sure I get a decent ride somewhere.

One of the many activities I enjoy!

These tips here can help in embracing a healthy relationship with your body. Its the only one we have until clones come along! Until then we should treat it with all the love and care it deserves!

So readers share with us on how you take care of yourself….

Thanks,

Dean

Spring is Here!

Spring has Arrived!

Hello everyone! How are you all doing? Hope you all are doing well.

As you know Spring is here! Even though in NY it’s snowy but its time to shake off that winter vibe and embrace the new season. I for one had a bit of a tough winter  but that’s a story for another time.

What comes mind when i think about Spring.

But we are here to celebrate the warm weather and going outside more. Now it’s warm out there’s no excuse for getting that Six Pack you always wanted or that Banging Bikini Body. Which leads me to sharing some of my old posts about exercise and eating. Here they are in a cool order to read, so this will be great for new readers and a refresher for my old ones.

In here or outside to work of that Winter “Pudge”!

Read, Enjoy and Happy Spring Season to everyone!

1. Some Healthy Things to Think About
2. Breakfast! The King of Meals
3. Tools For Being Healthy & Fit
4. 100 Days of Yoga!

***Don’t forget to leave a Comment!***

100 Days of Yoga!

Hello everyone! How are you all doing? Fantastic I hope. Well today I am going to share what I have learned from doing Yoga for a 100 days.

During the Summertime I wanted to find a way to stay fit during the sometimes brutal Summer heat of New York. Personally I am not a fan of being all sweaty while exercising; its annoying and distracting. Usually I do some Yoga moves before and after my exercises. So on another blogger mentioned she challenged herself to do straight Yoga for a week. That was the inspiration I needed to try it out. So I did it for a week and enjoyed it.  Being familiar with Yoga already I was able to design a session that would keep me strong and maintain my levels of fitness. I can say that my strength has increased and I am more resilient doing other exercises.

I am going to break down a session that you can do to evolve your exercises. Before I start Yoga is not all about standing on your head or bending and twisting; there is a philosophy behind it also. But the basic premise I want you to focus on while you try these these poses out is mindfulness; what is mindfulness? In the short term being in the moment NOW. Not your job, Facebook status or whats for dinner. Being focused on how your body moves through the pose.

So here is my basic sequence of sessions, this will get you started as you progress I have added two more phases to get you in the groove. I will give you a breakdown here but its up to you look into it a little further. Links for help will be at the end of the post.

PHASE I

1. Corpse Pose – This is where you set the tone and start to unplug from the daily routine of your life. Lie down face up and relax. Breathe! Its not uncommon the first times to doze off sleep. Get a timer start with 60 seconds and build up to 5 minutes.
2. Easy Pose – We are still setting the tone here and really begin to let the Yoga state of mind sink in to yourself. From here you will do neck and shoulder rotations.
3. Sun Salutations – This is to warm you up and get ready for the session. Start with 3 rounds, 6, then finally 12 rounds. *** face East if you can ***

                 You can stop here and you are essentially warmed up for anything else you like to do in the Gym.

Phase II ( continuing from number three)

1. Leg Raises – This is to stretch your hamstrings, calves and quadriceps. Do these 3 times.
2. Wind Relief Pose – This will massage your stomach and spine.
3. Cat Stretch – To help the upper back muscles and release tension there.
4. Bridge – This will help the lower back muscles relax and release tension there also.
5. Fish – This will help the neck and shoulders stretch out tension.
6. Wheel – The wheel will elongate your and charge your whole nervous system very good to way you up.
7. Forward bend – This will help your legs and back, also it will counter balance the wheel pose.
8. Cobra – This is to strengthen the spine and tailbone area.
9. Locust – This is a great pose to build and develop inner strength. Start with one leg raise then do both.
10. Bow – This will counter stretch the Cora and Locust pose. Also another great stretch to build power in your arms.
11. Spinal Twist – This will help your hips and lower back become supple.
12. Stick – This will aid your posture by  straightening out your back.
13. Toe Balance – This will help your feet and toes become strong.
14. Hero Pose – This is to stretch your legs especially if you sit down all day or stand all day.

Phase III

I used to do this after my exercises as a “finisher” to lock in and strengthen my muscles. You can continue from number 14 or as a stand alone exercise.

1. Mountain Pose – This is all about standing up straight, not hunched over. Just standing shoulders back chest up and spine erect. You will the difference in your posture and will build inner strength also.
2. Over Head Mountain – Pose in Mountain with arms raised above your head. Great for your shoulders upper and lower back.
3. ***God Pose*** This is a variation of mountain pose. What you do is stand with your legs a little more than shoulder width apart and arms out with palms facing down. Look straight ahead and breath slowly. You will feel a tug from all four limbs.
4. Wide-Legged Forward Bend- Great for hips, hamstrings and your whole leg basically. This is one of those poses that takes time to master. be patient and reap the benefits of it.
5. Warrior Pose I – Great whole body exercise will get your system fired up all over.
6. Warrior Pose II – The focus here will be on your legs and lower back while keeping your arms straight.
7. Warrior Pose III – This will help you learn balance and focus. Your ankles and feet will thank you for it.
8. Triangle – Great side bend pose for your mid section and chest.
9. Chair Pose – Another way to build strength from the inside.
10. Corpse Pose – Still is to relax and reflect on your body and mind. This will slow everything down for the moment. Just lie back and breathe.

Well That’s it! I left pictures out for two reasons the first is so that you go and find the poses own your own. Second there are many variations and styles out there. You have to find the one that works for you and your body. I hope that you go out and try what I have shown you here. This could help you in other ways also. But remember! Know your limits and boundaries as with any form of exercise it can harm as well as heal. Its up to you to find that perfect balance as you do with anything else.

Everyone have a great holiday and a prosperous new year!

Some links you help you on your journey.

http://www.yogajournal.com/

Two awesome books that will teach the fundamentals of Yoga.

The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga

Swami Vishnu-devananda

Anatomy of Hatha Yoga: A Manual for Students, Teachers, and Practitioners

David H. Coulter

Some Healthy Things to Think About

This is a small essay I have been meaning to write so I am finally sitting down to get this off my chest. As you know I am sort of a health enthusiast. It took me a long way to get where I am today and just wanted to share some points and discuss my new found health and vitality. I went from 240 lbs. to 180lbs in about a year.

Going to start from 1999 when I joined the US ARMY. When I signed up back then I was 145. As you know basic training is mentally and physically demanding. Most of it is mental but we will discuss that later. So time went on and by 2001 I was a chunky 180. The Army Physical Training program isn’t bad but only designed to maintain not really anything else. You have to work out on your own for your results.

My weight gain “downfall” started around 2003 when I went to Germany. By the time I returned to Fort Drum I had stress fractures in both legs. I was on crutches sitting around just eating pizza and wings. I got to about 225 lbs. back then. By Army standards I was overweight. Fast forward through two tours in Iraq and by the time I got out I was about 230 lbs.

Me circa 2007

By then it’s now 2006 out of the Army and just sitting at home. Like most Veterans when you get out you don’t do much just kind of “decompress”. Then I found out I had high blood pressure in 2007. Which was weight and Army induced. So they put me on medication. But my weight still rose. By May 2008 I was about 240 lbs. One day I looked in the mirror and said “time to change”. There was a Gym about a mile away from my house so I joined up. At first went there went through the motions but not really doing much. I was losing weight but not really. My habit was workout then go home and pig out which doesn’t make any sense when you think about it.

I went to Antigua in January of 2009 and came back different. So started to read and research about not just weight loss but the human body and what health is. Everything I read and applied to see what the results would be. This way I knew what worked for me.   Also I began to do Yoga. Yoga is like the ultimate mind body connection. Once you start you will begin to notice and feel more in tune with yourself.

Then I changed my eating habits. I know you’ve heard of “eating clean”. I make sure I eat food that is mostly natural. Also most of the meals I cook myself. Don’t get me wrong I still love cookies, cakes and a juicy hamburger when I want to indulge myself. But if you cook make stuff you know you going to enjoy and want to cook all the time.

Remember what I said before about it’s all mental. Before I got my car I took the bus to the Gym after work. I would also ride my bike there also. I’m saying this to show that if want it you it you will succeed as with everything else…

Me now!

Below are some questions and tips which you have probably heard before but will reiterate here to help you.

1. How serious are you about your health/fitness and what are you willing to do about it?

2. Consistency is the key. Set aside time where you know you can do what needs to be done to improve your weight loss/fitness goals. Make it a good habit!

3. Pace yourself and coach yourself. Personal Trainers are great but only you can motivate yourself.

4. Listen to your body. Get feedback from it you will be amazed at what it will tell you.

5. Do your own research and ask questions which leads back to Number 4.

6. Eat to fill satisfied not to feel bloated, full and sleepy. When this happens blood and energy is being drawn from other parts of the body to your digestive system.

7. Drink water and natural juices. Sodas and other drinks have dyes and preservatives that aren’t natural. If the ingredients have more than two things that are not natural put it back!

8. Exercise doesn’t have to be a task or chore. It’s important, but make it fun so that you look forward to it instead of dreading it.

9. When exercising concentrate on the full range of motion. And breath normally, don’t hold it. Breath control is the absorption and release of energy.

10. Try Yoga! You don’t have to be flexible like a pretzel. It’s all about the mind and body connection.

11. it’s all mental, it starts with your mind then after that. If you hungry enough you will succeed.

Some links and Books to check out:

http://www.menshealth.com/

http://www.smallworldbeauty.com/

http://www.crossfit.com/

http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/

http://blogilates.com/

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/nutrition/sport/diet.html

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/nutrition/sport/diet.html#proportion

Health and Fitness by Sharkey and Gaskill

You Are What You Eat by DR. Gillian McKeith

The Fitness Model Program by Jennifer Nicole Lee

Athletic Body In Balance by Gray Cook

Jump Rope Training by Buddy Lee

Anatomy of Hatha Yoga by David Coulter