CHANGE.

Change is what I look forward to always...the change in my training, my learning, my goals, my son, my love, the seasons, my family and friends, my attitude and GROWTH as a human, as a friend, mother, daughter, teacher, student, lover... as a spirit!

Though at times, change can be difficult, it is necessary and I try to welcome change with an open mind and heart...

Maybe its the autumn season...maybe the thought of wanting to live more meaningful...I am really excited about the changes in my life!

My workouts- Been 'working in' more, doing more meditation, yoga and EFT. The actual workouts though are INTENSE...heavy loads and full focus no BS.

My diet- Back to the basics, metabolic profiled as a Protein type so lots of it and really clean organic greens, healthy fats and even working my way off the COFFEE!

My study-Almost finished w second Yoga teacher training, getting geared up for metabolic typing certification and looking into EFT certification and finally Paul Check HLC Level 2! Love the material I am exploring and plan to invest some more time into teaching how to Eat, Move and BE healthy!

My Body- I love it! It never fails me! Working on decreasing the stress hormones to create an everlasting change! I am STRONGER than ever and can finally get into the yoga poses I have been admiring for so long!

My Mind- again...I love it! It just keeps growing, expanding and opening. I have been using meditation, EFT and study from the American Monk lectures to CHANGE my MIND!

My LIFE- is great! Not Perfect but GREAT!

With CHANGE comes possibility and GROWTH...if you want to change your life just change your ATTITUDE!

Change Poem
Poems on change by Sri Chinmoy
Change! Change! If not, you will suffer. Change! Change! You will prosper. Brave, brave the old! If not, you will die. Brave, brave the new! You will fly.
~
WELCOME CHANGE
Don't resist; Be flexible. Don't be rigid; Be supple. Welcome change! Each change Is an illumining opportunity To knock at the door Of fulfilling progress sweet.
~
Change yourself slowly And cheerfully. Conditions will change immediately And unimaginably.
~
The mind thinks That any change Is painful. The heart feels That any change Is powerful.
~
Change your attitude! Lo, look what stands before you: Plenitude!
~
Change your mind If you do not want anybody To bind your life.
~
Not because you are clothed In a frail body, But because of your obdurate Unwillingness to change, Your life is a misery-haunted house.

The entire world may not change. The entire world cannot change. The entire world even will not change. But your tiny world you can and will change forever at this very moment with the help of your confidence-heart. Yours will be the unparalleled victory.
Poems on Change by: Sri Chinmoy

Peace and light,

Oct Newsletter

Healthy Choices, Healthy Changes
Raw Nutrition
Quick Recipe
Overtraining
Elevate Film Festival
Raw Food
One of Your Keys to Outstanding Health
By Wes Petereson

A kitchen is nothing else than a chemical laboratory producing millions of completely new chemical substances that basically never existed in the wild and if, then very occasionally by accident. Cooking will randomly produce millions of different sugar and protein combinations commonly called Maillard molecules. Throughout the biggest part of our evolutionary history, the one before processing, human beings have never ingested the amount of Maillard molecules we ingest today. The recent introduction of dairy products and grains has equally brought new chemical substances such as new proteins into the dietary spectrum of humans within a very short period of time.

read more...



RAW POWER
Recipe: Berry Green

A chlorophyll molecule (the green in leaves) differs from a human blood molecule by only one atom.

Green Smoothies are simple:

Take any fresh organic leafy greens you like
Blend them with organic fruit
Begin with 60% fruit and 40% greens then gradually work your way to 60% greens and 40% fruit
Get CREATIVE... blending different vegetables and fruits each day
Drink to your health!


WORK HARD, REST HARD
Avoid Overtraining.

Overtraining occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual's exercise exceeds their recovery capacity. They cease making progress, and can even begin to lose strength and fitness. Overtraining is a common problem in weight training, but it can also be experienced by runners and other athletes..
Improvements in strength and fitness occur only during the rest period following hard training. This process takes at least 12-24 hours to complete. If sufficient rest is not available then complete regeneration cannot occur. If this imbalance between excess training and inadequate rest persists then the individual's performance will eventually plateau and decline. Mild overtraining may require several days of rest or reduced activity to fully restore an athlete's fitness. If prompt attention is not given to the developing state, and an athlete continues to train and accumulate fatigue, the condition may come to persist for many weeks or even months.

read more...



Get ELEVATEd ...
Time to Unite

Have you heard? Elevate is revolutionizing the experience of cinema...by merging cutting edge science and technology with movies, music and new media.

Emerging and professional film makers from around the world were given assignments to be completed within 7 days. The films covered bold and timely subjects, impacting the major forms of media: commercials, music, videos, documentaries, scripted dramas and comedies. All were joined live in LA this past weekend for the world premier of their works. Become part of the movement, open your heart and live in TRUTH...

Check it out here...



THERE IS NO TIME LIKE NOW...
Live in Truth, Live in Peace.
Jen Peters
Shakti Fitness

76 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health

Getting into great shape doesn't mean just bustin' butt in your workouts! Maintaining a healthy and nourishing diet is the bulk of the equation. Here is one way to increase your overall health and lose that weight...CUT THE SUGAR OUT!
I know, I know its HARD and the more you look for it in what you consume the more you find! It's EVERYWHERE! But you have the power to cut out as much as you would like...JUST DO IT! Take the challenge, do it for 30 days. If you don't see and FEEL a huge difference you can always find some more!

The following information is taken from the website mercola.com
For more information and references please follow the link above.
Contributed by Nancy Appleton, Ph.DAuthor of the book Lick The Sugar Habit

In addition to throwing off the body's homeostasis, excess sugar may result in a number of other significant consequences. The following is a listing of some of sugar's metabolic consequences from a variety of medical journals and other scientific publications.

1. Sugar can suppress your immune system and impair your defenses against infectious disease.1,2
   
2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in your body: causes chromium and copper deficiencies and interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium. 3,4,5,6
   
3. Sugar can cause can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline, hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.7,8
   
4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in total cholesterol, triglycerides and bad cholesterol and a decrease in good cholesterol.9,10,11,12
   
5. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function.13
   
6. Sugar feeds cancer cells and has been connected with the development of cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate, rectum, pancreas, biliary tract, lung, gallbladder and stomach.14,15,16,17,18,19,20
   
7. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose and can cause reactive hypoglycemia.21,22
   
8. Sugar can weaken eyesight.23
   
9. Sugar can cause many problems with the gastrointestinal tract including: an acidic digestive tract, indigestion, malabsorption in patients with functional bowel disease, increased risk of Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.24,25,26,27,28
   
10. Sugar can cause premature aging.29
    
11. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.30
    
12. Sugar can cause your saliva to become acidic, tooth decay, and periodontal disease.31,32,33
    
13. Sugar contributes to obesity.34
    
14. Sugar can cause autoimmune diseases such as: arthritis, asthma, multiple sclerosis.35,36,37
    
15. Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections)38
    
16. Sugar can cause gallstones.39
    
17. Sugar can cause appendicitis.40
    
18. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.41
    
19. Sugar can cause varicose veins.42
    
20. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.43
    
21. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.44
    
22. Sugar can cause a decrease in your insulin sensitivity thereby causing an abnormally high insulin levels and eventually diabetes.45,46,47
    
23. Sugar can lower your Vitamin E levels.48
    
24. Sugar can increase your systolic blood pressure.49
    
25. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.50
    
26. High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs)(Sugar molecules attaching to and thereby damaging proteins in the body).51
    
27. Sugar can interfere with your absorption of protein.52
    
28. Sugar causes food allergies.53
    
29. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.54
    
30. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.55
    
31. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.56,57
    
32. Sugar can impair the structure of your DNA.58
    
33. Sugar can change the structure of protein and cause a permanent alteration of the way the proteins act in your body.59,60
    
34. Sugar can make your skin age by changing the structure of collagen.61
    
35. Sugar can cause cataracts and nearsightedness.62,63
    
36. Sugar can cause emphysema.64
    
37. High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in your body.65
    
38. Sugar lowers the ability of enzymes to function.66
    
39. Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson's disease.67
    
40. Sugar can increase the size of your liver by making your liver cells divide and it can increase the amount of liver fat.68,69
    
41. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney such as the formation of kidney stones.70,71
    
42. Sugar can damage your pancreas.72
    
43. Sugar can increase your body's fluid retention.73
    
44. Sugar is enemy #1 of your bowel movement.74
    
45. Sugar can compromise the lining of your capillaries.75
    
46. Sugar can make your tendons more brittle.76
    
47. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.77
    
48. Sugar can reduce the learning capacity, adversely affect school children's grades and cause learning disorders.78,79
    
49. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves which can alter your mind's ability to think clearly.80
    
50. Sugar can cause depression.81
    
51. Sugar can increase your risk of gout.82
    
52. Sugar can increase your risk of Alzheimer's disease.83
    
53. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalances such as: increasing estrogen in men, exacerbating PMS, and decreasing growth hormone.84,85,86,87
    
54. Sugar can lead to dizziness.88
    
55. Diets high in sugar will increase free radicals and oxidative stress.89
    
56. High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.90
    
57. High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration and is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.91,92
    
58. Sugar is an addictive substance.93
    
59. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.94
    
60. Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce.95
    
61. Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability.96
    
62. Your body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.97
    
63. The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.98
    
64. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).99
    
65. Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition.100
    
66. Sugar can slow down the ability of your adrenal glands to function.101
    
67. Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases.102
    
68. I.V.s (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to your brain.103
    
69. Sugar increases your risk of polio.104
    
70. High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.105
    
71. Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people.106
    
72. In intensive care units: Limiting sugar saves lives.107
    
73. Sugar may induce cell death.108
    
74. In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet, there was a 44 percent drop in antisocial behavior.109
    
75. Sugar dehydrates newborns.110
    
76. Sugar can cause gum disease.111

The 7 CHAKRAS

Chakra Seven: Thought, Universal identity, oriented to self-knowledge

This is the crown chakra that relates to consciousness as pure awareness. It is our connection to the greater world beyond, to a timeless, spaceless place of all-knowing. When developed, this chakra brings us knowledge, wisdom, understanding, spiritual connection, and bliss.

Chakra Six: Light, Archetypal identity, oriented to self-reflection

This chakra is known as the brow chakra or third eye center. It is related to the act of seeing, both physically and intuitively. As such it opens our psychic faculties and our understanding of archetypal levels. When healthy it allows us to see clearly, in effect, letting us "see the big picture."

Chakra Five: Sound, Creative identity, oriented to self-expression

This is the chakra located in the throat and is thus related to communication and creativity. Here we experience the world symbolically through vibration, such as the vibration of sound representing language.

Chakra Four: Air, Social identity, oriented to self-acceptance

This chakra is called the heart chakra and is the middle chakra in a system of seven. It is related to love and is the integrator of opposites in the psyche: mind and body, male and female, persona and shadow, ego and unity. A healthy fourth chakra allows us to love deeply, feel compassion, have a deep sense of peace and centeredness

Chakra Three: Fire, Ego identity, oriented to self-definition

This chakra is known as the power chakra, located in the solar plexus. It rules our personal power, will, and autonomy, as well as our metabolism. When healthy, this chakra brings us energy, effectiveness, spontaneity, and non-dominating power.

Chakra Two: Water, Emotional identity, oriented to self-gratification

The second chakra, located in the abdomen, lower back, and sexual organs, is related to the element water, and to emotions and sexuality. It connects us to others through feeling, desire, sensation, and movement. Ideally this chakra brings us fluidity and grace, depth of feeling, sexual fulfillment, and the ability to accept change.

Chakra One:Earth, Physical identity, oriented to self-preservation

Located at the base of the spine, this chakra forms our foundation. It represents the element earth, and is therefore related to our survival instincts, and to our sense of grounding and connection to our bodies and the physical plane. Ideally this chakra brings us health, prosperity, security, and dynamic presence.

CROSSFIT AGAIN!

Had a great KB session yesterday...

After teaching this morning I biked over to Crossfit again for the noon class.

Seems like lately everytime I show up the workout includes running and PULLUPS!

WOD
"Nicole"
As many rounds in 20 minutes of:

400m run

Max rep Pull-Ups

My stats:

6 rounds complete plus the 7th round of the run...ending w/ 118 pullups

Could I have done more? ABSOLUTELY! so why didnt I?

Well, I need to push myself more...thats it, I just need to push myself and not stop short.

Great inspiration of the day...

OVERCOMMING FEAR...

I was afraid to jump onto the 33inch plyo box, I kept thinking I was going to eat sh*t. BUT I was so damn determined to figure out how to overcome my FEAR. So, I got a 45lb plate and stood on it and UP! jumped onto the stupid box, then down to a thinner plate and again UP onto the box and then an even thinner plate...finally it was seeming more of a mental block I could dismiss...and so, finally I just went for it...stood in front of the box and up and away...UP...BAM! DID IT! pheeew...one more FEAR GONE!

CHEERS!

WOD...crossfit's HELEN!

Took a bike trip to visit my friends at the Crossfit San Diego downtown today for another great experience:



WOD
"HELEN"
3 Rounds for time of:

400m Run

21 Kettlebell Swings (1.5 Pood)

12 Pull-Ups

and heres how it actually went ...

42oish meter run

21 kb high swings (20kg)

25 pull ups

My time:11:51
thEn...

16 rounds...Tabata rounds... 20 secs L sit and Knees to elbows on pullup bar
CHEERS!

pistols again!

TODAYS WORKOUT:

• Pistols w/ 12kg x5/ea (getting back into em...next time 16kg!)


• Dead Hang Pullups x5 (again, getting back into it...)

5 SETS TOTAL

then...

• Back Lunge/Press w 12kg x8/ea


• Woodchop w 12 kg x12/ea


• Swiss Ball roll outs x10


• 4 point tummy vac (chek) x10 (I LOVE THESE!!! they work wonders and I feel very 'connected' after)

3 SETS TOTAL

then..

• 5 mins continuous snatches!

then...

LUNCH!...-turkey and spinach salad w avocado, green and red bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and homemade mustard and olive oil dressing...yum yum...big spoon full of blueberries...double yum yum...

TODAYS INSPIRATION...

BE IN THE MOMENT....