I know that after a long day's work or even just at the prospect of a long, busy day ahead of you, it is sometimes hard to find the motivation and will-power to get yourself to the gym. Specially on those Laaazzeee days when you just don't feel like doing anything...
If anyone understands this problem it is me. The question then is how do you keep motivated? How do you keep yourself in a positive frame of mind regarding exercise?
Well first, you want to make sure that it is relatively trouble-free for you to get to your workout . By that I mean, try and join a gym that is as close as possible to home or work so that it is an easy stop on the way there or back and does not have to be a whole outing.
I am sure it is the same with all of you as it is with me... I don't have time to wa ste during the day - if it is going to take an extra hour out of my day to get to the gym and back, chances are I won't get there!
I have been asked in the past: "How do I know that I am getting all the nutrients I need for a healthy body in my meals?".
My answer to that is - the more colorful your plate is, the more variety of nutrients you are ingesting. I am of course talking about natural color and not artificial. Be careful of that pitfall, these days many of the foods are artificially colored and flavored.
But you should have at least three colors on your plate - and white doesn't count! Except for potatoes and white fish, everything else that is white has very little nutritional value i.e. white rice, white bread, white pasta and so on... you get the picture.
You are doing great if you have one shade of yellow or orange, one shade of green (the darker the better) and a brown on your plate. Red is another great color to introduce to your meals. For instance, you are having a really balanced meal if you are having a portion of carrots (raw or steamed), a portion of broccoli or spinach or maybe even a green leafy salad, and then add a lean meat of your choice and you know you have a perfectly balanced meal! If you decide to have pasta or rice, pick the whole grain (brown) veriety.
To add the red, maybe you can have some fresh watermelon balls, cherries or strawberries for desert, you can even mix them all up.
So if you are staring at your plate, and all you see is one color... most likely white and brown,
then you know your body is not getting all the nutrients it needs to function at its best!
Keep it colorful, and you are on the right track!
Kind regards
Vanessa Bader
P.S. In the Quick Start Guide that you get with your Hot Burning Body Workout DVD's I have
included a six day meal plan for you and also some additional recipes that will put you on the right track to eating completely balanced, low fat meals.
Some Great Snack Ideas
Friday, 26 October 2007
I always suggest that for the sake of keeping your metabolism fired up, you should eat six or seven times a day. But remember, when I say six or seven meals, I am not referring to six plates stacked with all kinds of food.
I usually suggest three healthy meals and three or four small snacks. You never want your body to starve so having a wholesome snack is important.
But when you have so many meals to think about, it can be challenging to keep it interesting.
There are some easy to prepare snacks that makes for great in-between-meal alternatives.
Most of these are also easy to pack in a baggie or plastic container if you are constantly on the go.
Here are just a few:
1) Half an apple with a teaspoon of peanut butter
2) Five raw almonds and a medium sized banana
3) Raw baby carrots, celery sticks and cottage cheese
4) Mix one cup of soy milk, half a banana and a teaspoon of peanut butter and a cup of ice
in a blender for a great, healthy smoothie
5) 3 oz of beef jerky and five medium sized fresh strawberries or cherries
So there are just a few tasty and easy to prepare snack ideas to keep you motivated and on the right track.
With the Hot Burning Body Workout you will get a Quick Start Guide that has a six-day Quick Start Meal plan with plenty more innovative ideas for hearty and healthy meals and snacks!
Enjoy staying fit, and when it comes to snacking, there are many ways to keep it tasty, fun and healthy. Use your imagination!
Kind regards
Vanessa Bader
If you haven't gone to look at my Hot Burning Body workout yet, run over to: http://HotBurningBody.com
This is an unbelievably fun way to get in the best shape you've ever been.
Your Monthly Exercise - October
Monday, 22 October 2007
Vanessa demonstrating the Core Stabilizer
The Core Stabilizer is a static but powerful exercise that will strengthen your whole core as well as your glutials (butt), upper and lower back and chest muscles. It is important to keep your tummy tight and pulled up the whole time throughout this exercise.
Starting Position
- Start on your hands and knees.
- Hands directly under your shoulders and knees hip-width
apart. (pad under knees if needed)
- Shoulders into the back away from the ears and long spine.
- Belly button lifted towards the spine
- Head in line with the spine - long neck.
- Inhale deeply to prepare
The Right Way
- As you exhale -
- Reach with right leg back - nice long leg and pointed toes.
- Reach with the left arm straight forward - long fingers.
- Keep the shoulders retracted away from the ears
- Pull the belly button towards the spine.
- Your body should be as flat as a plank from the tip of your left
fingers to the tip of your right toes
- Make sure you keep supporting with your abdominals to
in order to protect your lower back.
- Keep the hips and shoulders square, don't let one drop.
- Keep reaching long in two directions.
- Hold this position for 30 to 60 seconds or more.
- Repeat with the Left leg and Right arm.
- Breathe deeply and slowly. (start with shorter
intervals and work your way up).
The Incorrect Way
- Don't Arch your back - keep it flat
- Don't let the abdominals hang out - keep pulling them
towards your spine to protect your lower back
- Don't poke chin out and crunch back of your neck, keep your
head in line with your spine
- Keep your shoulders retracted into your back by using your
lateral muscles to keep them away from your ears.
- keep the extended leg straight and parallel (knee facing the
floor)
- Don't stop breathing. Breathe deeply and evenly.
Enjoy this month's exercise and remember, if you can't hold it for thirty seconds yet, just do your best and hold it as long as you can in good form and work your way up.
No Mistakes, Only Learning Experiences
Monday, 22 October 2007
It has been really wonderful to be home even though it is only for a short while. It is great to sit on my own couch while writing to you. Being home also means I get a chance to catch up with some of my favorite television programming.
I was watching "Dancing with the Stars" when Las Vegas entertainer Wayne Newton said something that completely reflected my message for you today.
After being eliminated from the show, here is what he said:
"To step out of the comfort zone... I think that it is important to live life not exist in it. Being comfortable is wonderful but stepping out - even if you fail is not failing to me, not trying is failing."
I see people every day that are moving through life like robots - stuck in a rut - stuck in their comfort zone because they fear change, they fear making mistakes.
We all make mistakes. Sometimes things just don't happen the way we intend them to. We have to make hundreds of decisions every day. Some are very small and seem trivial like what color shirt to wear or what to have for lunch. Other decisions can be totally life changing - Maybe you are thinking about a career change or buying a new house.
New tasks and goals can be very daunting sometimes, we all fear failure and when we fear failing we are more likely not to try new things and reach for bigger and higher goals.
REACH HIGHER AND LIVE FULL-OUT
To me, there is no such thing as a mistake - they are "learning experiences."
If you can learn from the actions and choices in your life that doesn't seem to work out so well, then you can only move one way and that is up. Up towards success and happiness.
Living with Pizzazz is all about living full out with enthusiasm and determination. It is about reaching your full potential and being a confident, radiant and magnetic person. How can you live to your fullest potential if you constantly fear failure?
By living a life where you are constantly scared of making mistakes, you will never take risks. In order for us to advance, learn and become a success we need to sometimes take risks, and where there are risks there are chances of... "learning experiences".
Now, I am not saying go and do something completely irresponsible. But it is good to change
your attitude towards so-called mistakes. We all encounter challenges in life - stumbling blocks.
Don't waste time on beating yourself up over small failures - use those experiences to steer you in the right direction. Believe it or not, sometimes those small failures are there for your protection, to prevent you from encountering larger stumbling blocks.
So start today... there are no mistakes, only learning experiences!
Kind regards
Vanessa Bader
P.S. To live with Pizzazz is to live full out, with determination and excitement. Don't let your
life become stale and uninteresting because you fear making mistakes. Set your goals and move towards them wholeheartedly and with purpose.
Irresistable with Pizzazz
Thursday, 18 October 2007
It is weekend again - time to relax and have some fun - Hang out with friends, maybe go to a party or on a date... Maybe it is a first date and you desperately want to impress...
Everybody wants to be irresistible, attractive and wanted but not all of us are Brad Pitt, Demi Moore or JLo. You don't have to be. You don't need to have the body or the looks of a movie star to be irresistibly seksy. All you need is to be self confident and self aware. In the end - real attraction isn't about how perfect your facial features are or how lean your rear end is.
That irresistible magnetism comes from the way you move, the energy you project, the way you manage to catch his or her attention. It's all about ATTITUDE!
By simply changing the way you stand or walk, the way you look at someone or flash them a smile, you can blow their minds instantly! They will find you irresistibly seksy and alluring. All you have to do is to learn the few easy to follow principles of The Pizzazz Factor
I know you have some insecurities - we all do. I find that when I start feeling shy or intimidated my posture changes. I immediately want to hide and I think I can do so by dropping my chin and my shoulders.... but that is no way to stand your ground!
Enchant the opposite seks with your Pizzazz Factor and hypnotic appeal, and whether you are going on a first date or simply a romantic night with your better half of many years - he/she will be astounded and extremely attracted to your new-found coolness and unmistakable self-confidence.
Think it sounds impossible? IT IS NOT!!
Now you can also have that Irresistible Magnetism of the movie stars, you'll draw people to you and believe me - the opposite seks will find you fascinatingly seksy.
Take that step now! Reveal your inner-confidence, that Dynamic You that has been hiding behind your own insecurities.
Have a wonderful weekend and go flaunt what you've got!
Why so Serious?
Thursday, 11 October 2007
I just watched a wonderfully heartwarming show by a Polish comedian named Jacov Noi. He is a visual comedian so he did a lot of mime.
He mimed all real life situations which under normal circumstances might be very serious, but tonight he demonstrated how everything in life need not be so serious, but is to be taken lightly and to be enjoyed... we need not be so serious all the time.
He said something in his show that stuck with me and that was totally in line with how I think and the message I try to convey as part of the Pizzazz Factor.
He said: “Life is short, and then we die – so we might as well have as much fun as we can while we are here!”
I loved this quote. I think we so often take our selves and life way too seriously. We need to
lighten up. There are very few things that are quite as gratifying as putting a smile on someone else’s face.
The Pizzazz Factor is about looking and feeling great, and the most wonderful way to feel great about yourself is to make someone else smile – to make someone else feel good about themselves.
We always feel like we need to leave the “funny stuff” up to the professional comedians, but no – we all have the potential to make someone else smile or even laugh.
Don’t be scared to crack a joke or flash a smile – the worst thing that can happen is that the other person might be a little startled because he or she did not expect it. The truth is that you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
So stop taking yourself and others so terribly seriously. Lighten up and brighten up and see
how that changes your day... Not only will you feel great and more energetic, but you will also
make a lasting impression on others.
It doesn’t take time out of your day... maybe just a little energy – but energy well-spent, I promise. We have enough worries.... and so do others. Wipe those worries away and put a smile on your face... life is short – so enjoy it while you can!
After walking out of the show tonight I felt so light and happy – laughter is truly food for the soul. Why waste your time worrying if there is nothing in the present that you can do to improve a situation.
Live in the moment and consciously enjoy it... you do have the choice... most of the time.
Smiles and Laughter are totally contagious, so you will see – if you can be the instigator, everyone around you will brighten up and so will your whole day!
Give it a shot – others will remember you and you will be known for being a feel-good person, someone who everybody wants to be around! That is what Pizzazz is all about!
Happiness is a choice... You have the Power!
Kind Regards
Vanessa Bader
P.S. When you are feeling blue, tired or even just bored – make some extra effort and say something nice to someone else, or flash them a smile, and before you know it you will feel so much better for it!
Stay on Track with Fitness and Weightloss Plan
Sunday, 07 October 2007
We all know that staying on track with your fitness and weight-loss plan can be quite a challenge sometimes. That is exactly why you need to surround yourself with the right kind of people to help you succeed.
Even though family, friends and co-workers can be amazing foundation of support, they also have the potential to push you off track.
You want to actively seek out people that will support and encourage you to keep moving towards your goals and dreams. There are three types of people that might be able to assist you in your journey.
There is the "Partner in Crime" - someone who is right there next to you along for the ride, who
has similar goals and a similar drive and determination to succeed. This person is walking
the journey with you...
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