12-12-12

"I move through my days, light-hearted and carefree, knowing all is well" Deepak Chopra

Rarely is there a day when I don't think about spreading love and happiness. Today is a particularly special day as it is one that some people saw as the "end of the world". Lucky for us it is just the beginning of a new world. A world where love, kindness, peace, harmony and gratitude come to the forefront. A world where we are aware that a smile is contagious. A world where we stop blaming and hurting and begin looking within and healing.

Take a moment on this special day, 12-12-12, to think about spreading love and compassion. Start by looking within. Have you done everything in your power to remain positive and carefree? If you remain in a relaxed and blissful state there is nothing you lack. Practice living each moment with a light and open heart. In just two short hours, a group of passionate people, The Master Shift, will launch a global meditation to promote peace, love and gratitude. I invite you to join in so that you will have the chance to get in touch with the spirit that resides within you. You can find out more information about The Master Shift from their website www.themastershift.com Namaste, Andie

Manifesto

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HAPPINESS

"A smile is worth a thousand words." Living in a foreign country requires certain adjustments to one's life. Language barrier being one of the stumbling blocks for some people who move into a new culture. For me, I have found that although I can only throw together a few sentences in Bulgarian, if I start with a smile, I am embraced and welcomed because a smile is a universal language.

There is also scientific research that proves that smiling is beneficial to our health. Smiling boosts your immune system, lowers your blood pressure, releases natural endorphines, increases serotonin and reduces stress.

Have you ever noticed that people who are happy look younger? There is a direct correlation between happiness and youthfulness. Having a sense of peace, self acceptance, fulfillment and purpose brings not only happiness, but longevity. Studies show that the better we feel about our well-being, the longer we tend to live. "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us" " Oliver Wendell Holmes

We must Look inside to find happiness. You carry your heart and your head with you. You cannot escape yourself. Too often we say that our lives are not working because we are unwillingly to work at life. We must take responsibility for things as they are, and work with our challenges. We must understand that it is actually possible to attain clarity, understanding and feel happy, when perhaps the world around us may not be seeing with the same lens. It is a wonderful thing to see your life through rose coloured glasses.

Happiness is subjective. What makes me feel happy, might not make you feel happy. The happiness scale is culturally biased. I recently read an article stating that Bulgarians were the least happiest country in the European Union. The article identified that Bulgarians were unhappy because of their low quality of life and standard of living. I ask myself "Are these not two areas of a persons life that can be changed intrinsically?" As a new resident of Bulgaria, I must admit that many Bulgarians are surprised when I sing praises of their amazing country. For me, Bulgaria is a wonderful place to live. This could be because I am feeling personally fulfilled. I expect that I would find anywhere I live to be a "happy place" because I am content in my being. In Bulgaria, we are surrounded with an abundance of food, energetic mountains, lovely lakes and we are able to experience four seasons. These terrific wonders of the world are amazing, but they should not be the indicators to measure a person's happiness, because happiness must come from within. A person in North America may measure their level of happiness by what material items they have, or how successful they are in their job, rather than searching on a deeper level into the head and heart. A person in Africa might measure their level of happiness by whether they had basic needs of survival; such as food, water and shelter. The bottom line is, rather than looking at the external factors to measure happiness, one must look deep inside, discovering mindfulness and identify what gives them inner wisdom, peace and ultimately joy. The fully developed happy human being embodies the unity of soul and spirit wherever they call home.

Remember this quote: ‎"Happiness is never stopping to think if you are." ~ Palmer Sondreal

Bottle the Energy

Sun, sand and solitude. The sss's of summer. We should all be so fortunate to enjoy a summer holiday, a reprieve from the whirlwind schedule of daily life. It is a time for recovery, reflection and a chance for your body and mind to re-energize.

I can remember as a kid, leaving the house in the wee hours of the morning and not coming inside until the street lights came on. Summer days seem to pass too quickly. A typical summer day might be filled with activities like sailing or swimming, surfing or frisbee. These activities are so incredibly good for the soul, by connecting with mother earth. Playing outside gives us an appreciation of the world around us. What better way to complete a warm summer day, but to sit and watch the spectacular sunset.

Saying good-night to the sun is a great way to reflect on what gifts the day brought. Summer nights are clear and crisp. There is an unparalleled energy that a person gets from just relaxing under a starry night. Note: there has been no mention of computers, ipods, facebook, Ipads, Wii's, just a pure and simple connection with ourselves and the earth. There is much to be said for turning off all electronics when your body is in recovery mode.

We just celebrated our first full week back at school by hosting a welcome back party for the school staff. The energy and enthusiasm can only be described as contagious. Teachers were refreshed and excited to be starting another year of educating young minds. Support staff were relaxed and ready to assist in making this school year the best ever. One could see the maintenance staff breathing a big sigh of relief to have all the projects completed prior to the school opening. The big question is, how can this energy be sustained throughout the year, particularly when it is cold and grey outside? My small piece of advice for you, is to take the incredible energy that you have gained from summer time and bottle it up to use later in the year. When you are feeling exhausted, drained or tired from a busy week, open your proverbial bottle of energy and feed your soul. Remember the relaxed feeling you had during one of those summer evenings while you were sitting under the stars. Be thankful that you had the opportunity to do nothing but star gaze. If you time it right, you should have bottled enough energy to last until your next long weekend or extended holiday. Be in tune with the things in life that not only increase your serotonin levels, but also, allow you time for positive pause and feed your soul. Whether it is climbing a mountain, visiting with a dear friend or sitting in stillness beneath the trees. Bottle this energy.

Speak kindly, Care deeply, Love generously In Fitness, Andie

Get the Funk Out!

April showers brought more than May flowers in my world. With the increase in rainy, grey days, I found myself suffering from an acute case of the blues. Thanks to my yoga practice, I knew that my body and mind were out of synch. I could feel myself drifting into a physical and mental low. I wrote a quick note to the people who are closest to me to excuse my lack of communication and explain that I was officially in a funk. It was amazing how quick my support group near and far, came to the rescue with tidbits of advice, words of wisdom and recommendations to follow to get back to my spunky self. Since I received an abundance of excellent techniques to use to get the funk out, I decided to share the wealth with my readers. I am confident that with a little personal tweaking, there is something below that best suits you. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a prescription, something to put on your agenda or a cure all. I certainly don’t have a magic wand. It is necessary that instead of telling yourself “now I am going to relax” or "now I need to be calm", you need to LIVE IT. Your mood is internally generated and it is your mindfulness that helps you keep in balance. Use a Gratitude Journal/Chart This has been a topic of one of my blog entries in the past. You can never show too much appreciation for the things that make you feel fortunate. If you can focus on non-materialistic items (like great relationships or experiences), it becomes that much more powerful.

Take Pictures of items around you that make you smile. You can either post them on your facebook page for friends to "like" or if you feel energetic and have the time you can also make a collage from these feel good pictures. What a cool thing for your great grandchildren to find in the coming years.

Focus on accomplishments with fervour. Your personal success stories will give you an extra boost to get you motivated again. Don’t worry about it if nothing comes to mind. To quote former Prime Minster of Britain, Winston Churchill , “Success is stepping from one failure to another without losing your enthusiasm.”

Set attainable goals Be realistic and be kind to yourself. Remember the motto “baby steps.”

Exercise and Meditate When we exercise we increase serotonin which is our natural mood enhancer and when we release endorphins it works quickly to make you more joyful, not mention, it is much cheaper than drugs! Meditation will allow you to be mindful of all that is beautiful.

Do something for yourself There is something to be said for treating yourself to a delicious spa. Give yourself permission to chillax. Having a small retreat or getaway, even for a few hours, to allow yourself to just be with yourself, a change of scenery, and time to appreciate what you left behind, no agenda.

Surround yourself with positive energy People with negative energy will bring you down. Be very conscious about the people you surround yourself with. Luckily, this is IN YOUR CONTROL so when you feel someone near you is seeing the glass half full, remove yourself from their grey cloud. No Eeyore’s allowed in your world!

Pay it forward When you give generously you feel wonderful. Putting a smile on another person’s face will make you feel super. It does not need to be something materialistic, rather giving a smile, or offering a hand with the groceries, holding open the door or offering a friend some healthy baked items. Sunshine When the sun peeks out, take advantage of the benefits of being in the sun, but as always, in moderation. Do a few sun salutations in your back yard and I promise that it will provide an instant feeling of being connected to your mind and body.

Sleep with purpose. Top psychologists have uncovered something amazing: When you’re struggling with a life dilemma, one of the best tactics is to get some sleep. Your brain is actually wired to conjure up the smartest solution while you snooze. Scientists have found that the dreaming mind is able to go down creative paths more easily, which leads to better, more innovative resolutions (The Committee to Sleep, Dr. Deirdre Barrett, 2012). “When you sleep, the prefrontal cortex of the brain shuts down”, explains Dr. Barrett, “That’s the area that controls logic and takes into account social constraints.” Keep a pad of paper near your bedside table so that you can jot down specific key details: words you used, points you made, body language. Happy zzzz’s!

Fake it Studies have found that pretending to be in a better mood can actually put you in one. When you smile, even if it is not genuine, this sends happiness signals to your brain and makes you feel much better.

I can imagine that there are many more mood altering techniques, so if there is another method that you personally use to get the funk out feel free to leave me a comment. After all, knowledge is power. Speak kindly, Care deeply, Love generously In Fitness, Andie

Do you want to get fit?

I am always looking to vary my workouts to avoid boredom and fitness plateauing. I just recently bought a TRX suspension training kit. After watching the start up DVD and reading the set up manual, I took it for a test drive! I was totally in my element. TRX was designed by Randy Hetrick, a former Navy Seal on "location" using parachute straps. TRX builds strength, balance and flexibility, not to mention that it blasts fat. After minutes of being suspended in the air, balancing on one hand, I soon realized that although I am super stoked about the TRX, this type of training might make others want to vomit. It got me thinking about why and how people get fit.

There are thousands of excuses as to why people don't exercise daily, but with every single one of these reasons, comes a solution. The question is "Do you want to get FIT?" Ask yourself this simple question and if the answer is a wholehearted YES, examine the roadblocks that are keeping you from starting. Is there a reason you aren't starting today? Too tired, no time, injuries, intimidated or just plain lack of motivation? There are simple logical solutions to these problems, it is merely a mind over matter attitude. I promise, that once your "feel" how good exercise is for you, there will be no going back to a sedentary lifestyle. If the answer is "NO, I don't want to get fit" then you are digging yourself an early grave because you are on the road to DIS-EASE.

Too tired or no time? Get up just 10 minutes earlier and start with deep breathing techniques that will bring more oxygen to your system, then perform two sets of 15 simple abdominal crunches, followed by two sets of 12 lunges alternating legs and two sets of ten push ups. Done. Feel the difference and note your body-mind connection. You will be rejuvenated and ready to face the day.

When you are injured, it is generally in one area of the body. Rest this area, but work the rest of your body... You lower body should not suffer just because you have a sore shoulder. Be kind to your body by moving it, as this is part of the healing process!

If you feel intimated to start an exercise regime, then ask a friend to join you. There are power in numbers. Exercise buddies look out for each other and create an ambiance of security and comfort. I have lost count at the number of times that members of my group classes say "I really needed that class! I feel so much better now that I have exercised and at the same time had a chance to get my issues off my chest."

Lack of motivation is a big excuse for why people don't exercise daily. I can guarantee you that if you start by scheduling exercise in your day; like you do with the thousands of other commitments, such as going to the grocery store, dentist appointment, cooking dinner, attending your children's needs, it will soon become part of who you are and what you do and not be seen as a scheduled chore. It has to be something that you like to do so that you stick with it. Not moving, is not an option. Ten minute increments are just as good as extended workouts, so you don't need to do a block of exercise to get the benefits.

I hope that the next time you are asked the question, "Do you want to get fit?" you can answer with an enthusiastic, "I AM....fit, fun and fantastic!" What better gift to give yourself and your family?

Namaste

Breathe

There is something to be said for just taking a step back and allowing ourselves time to breathe. There have been so many times in my life where I wish I would have taken a moment to breathe rather than react. When we breathe, we tend to lean toward resolution rather than reaction. We see the perspective change and we give time to analyze the situation. Breathing also offers TIME to listen. If you take a deep meaningful breath, you can't talk, which is a good thing. Mindful breathing allows us to set our intentions. Our vibrational energy is guided by mindful breathing and opening our heart. In order to have a clear vision, where we are able to surrender to the highest good, we must breathe. Breathing channels the positive energy into your body. It will relax you, but at the same time invigorate you!

Enjoy the fresh air and with it will come tranquility and energy and peace.
Namaste!

30 Dr. Seuss Quotes to Live By

Motivation

We just wrapped up our middle school basketball season at the Anglo American School of Sofia. I had the pleasure of coaching this wonderful group of young women who were energetic, lively, enthusiastic, bundles of emotion. For most of the girls, this was their first experience playing basketball or being on a team for that matter. When I reflect back on the coaching experience, I remember so many “teachable moments.” It was very rewarding to see the girls improve their basic skills in basketball. I wanted to celebrate when they dribbled the ball down the court, rather than bounce the ball with two hands, when they stopped themselves from leaving the confinements of the playing court or did not foul the opponent when attempting to steal the ball. More impressive was their reaction to praise, motivation and their sheer determination to do their very best. We can all learn important lifelong lessons about the benefits of exhibiting determination, motivation and mental toughness. Experiences such as playing on a basketball team in middle school are character builders and help shape confident, strong, successful women.

We had a culmination to the season with a tournament with schools from the Central and Eastern European Schools Association (CEESA). Our school hosted CEESA, so not only did we have home court advantage, we had significant parental presence. This was a wonderful way for the girls to exhibit their developed skills, work ethic, teamwork and personal growth in the sport. Typically, I am a person who is pretty high-energy and find myself getting an adrenaline rush from the simple things in life. I bring this energy into my coaching. Some would call it passion, while others might see it as loud and garish. I believe in the power of positive coaching. I believe that when a player’s efforts are rewarded with a bellow from the sideline from their coach, the outcome is so much more incredible than when the coach is a passive onlooker. It is the coach’s job to help build character and foster player self-esteem. It is also important to recognize that every player will react to “the bellows” in a different way. It got me thinking about the whole notion of motivation. Are players internally and/or externally motivated? Would our team have been just as successful without my roaring from the sidelines? Does a young adolescent perform the same regardless of what they hear? Is drive or motivation something that people just have inside them? More and more research leans toward the idea that if a person feels motivated (whether intrinsic or extrinsic) they will be more successful in life. I asked one of our star players if she even heard my voice while she played and she said “Coach, your voice is all I hear. It is your guidance from the sideline that makes me want to score a basket.” This solidified my reasoning for encouragement from the trenches. I didn’t need any further verification that my motivational musings were a help not a hindrance. Bottom line, people perform at their best when they are inspired and motivated.

Go Wolves!

Success requires not only that you know where you want to go. You also must acknowledge where you are right now. Unknown

The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more Energy you will have. - Norman Vincent Peale

BEING JOYFUL!

"Don't postpone joy until you have learned all of your lessons. Joy is your lesson." -Alan Cohen
What is joy? What gives us joy? How can we bring joy to the forefront in our life? Webster dictionary defines joy as the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires. That is one heavy statement. It is also a heavenly statement. If we break down the definition and examine one of the key words in the definition; well-being, it is evident that ONLY we can control our own joy because our well-being is molded by what we do. What are you doing TODAY to bring joy and personal well-being into your life? According to Traditional Acupuncture, joy is one of the five emotions associated with the five elements. The other emotions include fear, anger, sympathy, and grief. We achieve balance (good health) by continually moving around the cycle of the elements. If we get stuck in any one place, imbalance results. According to this philosophy, when balanced, we would inhabit each of these emotions about one fifth of the time, moving around our energetic/ emotional cycle just as nature moves from one energy to the next in its cycle of seasons. Joy, one of the 5 emotions associated with the Five Elements, reflects the energy of Fire -- an outward, expansive energy, the most Yang of all the energies. Joy is about radiance and movement. It shines from the eyes. It moves up and out through the whole body, exuding from every pore. Joy comes from a place deep within. It is about a vitality that is alive, moving in the body. I encourage you to find this joy that is there within you and bring it to the forefront of everything you do. When you feel joy, it is difficult to judge, complain, criticize and feel negative. Feeling joy makes a person automatically look at life with bright loving wide eyes, optimism and acceptance. I encourage you to grab the joy life is giving you and store it deep within you, resulting in a feeling of elation and well-being. Although the Christmas season has come and gone, thinking of personal well-being makes me want to sing JOY TO THE WORLD from the rooftops!

Taste

Taste is under-rated. In our hurried world we often forget to really appreciate the flavour and texture of the food we put into our bodies. So many times we fail to remember that food is something to enjoy, savour and have a relationship with. Again, my personal motto of everything in moderation comes to the forefront. If a person consciously eats in moderation, then they generally take their time buying and preparing their food by choosing a healthy recipe, pausing for examination and considering and appreciating the healthy food that they are ingesting, rather than just eating for the sake of energy consumption. If we took a moment to really examine what we put in our bodies and taste the food we eat, we might think twice before scarfing down that bag of processed potato chips or we may refuse the offering of edible oil product, otherwise known as gummie worms. We don't allow our growing children to consume copious amounts of this processed junk, so why do we give ourselves permission to do so?

"But I had a craving".... Research suggests that a less acute sense of taste leads to over-consumption of foods rich in sugar, salt and fat. When taste buds function as they should, we experience sensory-specific satiety- a sense of satisfaction that helps us stop eating long before the stomach registers fullness, says Alan Hirsch, M.D., director if the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago. How it works: Taste and smell receptors in the mouth respond to flavour chemicals in food. "The receptors then relay messages to the brain's hypothalamus". "This triggers the release of leptin, a hormone that suppresses appetite and revs metabolism. The problem is the changes in food manufacturing have led to numbing of the taste buds that delays sensory specific satiety. "Processed foods are layered with flavours- salt on the top of sweet on top of fat". This overstimulates the taste buds and inhibits their ability to detect flavours.

The good news is that taste buds can be recalibrated by cutting back on processed foods rich in fat, salt and sugar. Since taste buds are so malleable, if you stick to wholesome foods, you will actually prefer less sugar, fat and salt within weeks. I have a friend who has two food rules. First, she only eats food items that have five or less ingredients. This rule makes total sense since, most processed foods contain ingredients well into the double digits. The second rule she follows is that she never buys anything that has a expiration date of more than a month. When I observe this friend eating, she takes her time, she has a small smile of delight on her face and she definitely has MUCH more energy throughout the day, not to mention she looks fantastic with her glowing skin, silky hair and svelte figure.

One of the tricks that I have adopted to improve my taste experience is that I drink a glass of water before my meal. Drinking water keeps me hydrated, and assists in making my stomach feel more full, thus I consume less calories at mealtime (In a study at Virginia Tech, subjects who used this strategy ate 75-90 calories fewer calories at meals- which is enough to lose 28 pounds a year effortlessly). Dehydration or a dry mouth can impede your ability to register flavours because you won't produce enough saliva to breakdown food.

Remember, if you substitute a handful of grapes or an apple for a sugary processed treat, over time your taste buds will prefer the naturally sweet taste of fruit. Not to mention that the fiber in fruit slows down the release of blood sugar to short-circuit sweet cravings later in the day. If you need to add sugar to your food, opt for whole foods and sweeten them yourself by using brown sugar cane or honey, rather than using artificial sweeteners which are 600 times sweeter than sugar, which can make it difficult for taste buds to be satisfied by natural sugars.

On this Friday afternoon, I invite you to visit the local market, drink water and appreciate the taste of au natural.

Time

Happy New Year! It is often this time of year that we think about how fast the last 365 days have gone. We identify what we have accomplished, we make resolutions, we reminisce about the events during the year gone by and wonder what our future has in store. One of the greatest gifts that I gave myself in 2011 is the gift of time. I made a conscience effort EVERYDAY to sit with myself. It is a time I use to quiet my mind. In the silence, I stretch my mind to a place of calmness, less stress, no rush to be anywhere but right where I am. By giving myself time to just "be", it sets the tone for my entire day and I am able to accomplish much more. There is a saying the hurrier I go, the more behind I get. This rings true when a person doesn't give themselves the necessary time to reflect.

There have been moments in my life where I wish I could have reversed the clock. Perhaps it was when I sat through a really bad television program, or spent my precious time with a person who brought me down, rather than lifted me up, or enrolled in a course that I wasn't particularly passionate about. Unfortunately, I can not get that time back. The only thing that I can do about it now is remind myself in everything I do, AM I HAPPY DOING WHAT I AM DOING? As Benjamin Franklin said "Lost time is never found again". Make the most of every minute!

I am reading a book called Bounce by Matthew Syed. In this book he speaks about the importance of practice for success. One of the single ingredients needed for practice, besides motivation is time. I wish I embraced this concept twenty years ago.

Furthermore, if we all gave ourselves the gift of time we would have less conflicts, since we would have time to think rather than react. When you find yourself in a place of panic, anxiety or fear it can be helpful to conjure up a special place that you know will interrupt your train of thought. Take a few minutes to visualize yourself having the time of your life in this special place; laugh, smile, enjoy and feel relaxed. Trust me, it works. I like to set a date with myself in the wee hours of the morning, but you are free to return to that special place anytime you need to instill a calming sense of well-being and just give yourself a little time.

Don't count every hour in the day, make every hour count!