Emotion Creates Motion

Friday, September 19, 2008

Can you remember a time when you felt completely discouraged with your body? It's easy to beat yourself up when the body that you have is miles from the one you want. When negative emotions flood over you resist the urge to get down on yourself, rather turn the tides in your favor. You may have heard the expression 'emotion creates motion'. This is a very powerful tool. Channel your dissatisfaction with your body into 'motion'. Take control of your body and put a plan into action. The choices you make always determine your destiny, you maybe heard that too but have you given a thought to it at all?

Labels: exercise, fitness, Fitness Diet Inspiration Motivation, inspiration

Permanent Link To This Post Leave A Comment (0 comments) External Links To This Post

Stop Thinking, Start Appreciating!

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

If you are like me, you have great days and not so great days. I have bad hair days and great hair days. I can be grumpy and I can be cuddly. It all depends on the way I chose to think, feel and act, first thing in the morning.

One day, while I was having a grumpy day and was not looking forward to my heavy daily schedule, my little four-year-old, Isabella, came into the bathroom and wanted me to hold her as I was trying to shave. I can't tell you that I did what she wanted - instead I ignored her by saying "not now baby, I am busy!"

Of course Isabella, as any innocent creature would react, sat down and started crying. I felt so horrible! I stopped shaving and with the shaving cream still on my face, I picked her up. While holding Isabella in my arms and while she was rubbing the shaving cream all over my face, I had an urging sensation to look into her eyes! There deep into those beautiful and innocent eyes, I saw something I never thought I'd see in my entire life. I saw MYSELF - but not an image of myself, I saw my SOUL!

I immediately felt a sensation of peace. My entire being was affected with a feeling of being able to let go and I become totally relaxed. That day I understood that no matter how bad your day or life may be unfolding, the illusion of your perception can be eradicated by a simple stare into the eyes of a loved one, a person or a pet or even your own self.

Our heart is what tells us the truth; it is the messenger of our soul. Our loved ones are often the ones that suffer the consequences of our own doing, so STOP thinking and start APPRECIATING.

Labels: inspiration

Permanent Link To This Post Leave A Comment (0 comments) External Links To This Post

Is Your Goal Smart?

Friday, August 15, 2008

The much anticipated 2008 Beijing Olympic games are now in full swing. I find it inspiring to watch athletes perform at the top of their game, don't you?

It's amazing to see what the human body is capable of when it's trained for a particular event.

Every athlete in the Olympics has trained for thousands of hours in a very specific way for their sport. These athletes know precisely what they want their bodies to do and they train in a focused manner to be the best. You can bet that they see a gold medal every time they close their eyes. Now that's focus.

What about you? What do you train for?

You see, whether you realize it or not, you too are training for a specific reason. Maybe your goals are more in line with losing 15 pounds rather than winning a gold medal, but your training needs to be just as specific in order to achieve your desired results.

Do you know why you exercise? Is it to lose weight? Is it to lower your blood pressure? Is it to shrink your waist? Is it to pick up a bag of groceries with more ease?

The first step toward getting the body of your dreams is to set a goal. This simple act, when done correctly, will instantly calm your frustrations and fill you with hope.

Here's how to make your goals SMART.

Specific: Ask yourself questions like: How many inches do I want to lose? What pant size do I want to be? Be painstakingly specific with yourself. It has been proven that the more specific your goal is the more likely you are to achieve it.

Measurable: You've got to be able to measure your results. It could be in pounds or body fat percentage or inches. It could even be fitting into a particular pair of pants that you haven't worn in years. The key is that you need to be able to physically measure your progress.

Attainable: If you have fifty pounds to lose it won't all come off in one month. Setting unattainable goals simply sets you up for failure. If you have a major fat loss goal then break it down into small attainable goals. As you achieve each smaller goal you will reinforce your progress and ultimately can attain any desired goal.

Realistic: This step is all about knowing yourself. What type of program would you realistically stick with? If you despise running then don't base your weight loss program on 6am jogs. Look honestly at your abilities, but don't underestimate yourself either. You'll need to push yourself to achieve your goal.


Timely: Every great goal is set on a timeline. Keeping the above steps in mind, give yourself an exact date and time that your goal needs to be accomplished by.

Now it's time to get to work. Write down your SMART goal and place it somewhere that you see often then tell three people of importance in your life about your goal.

Have the focus and the drive to pursue your SMART goal, just like the Olympians, and go make yourself proud!

I love nothing more than seeing my clients achieve their goals. Call me at the number above or reply to this email to get started on a fitness program that is specific to your goal.

Labels: body image, fitness, Fitness Diet Inspiration Motivation, inspiration, mindful fitness

Permanent Link To This Post Leave A Comment (0 comments) External Links To This Post

Fundamental Questions (Excerpt from an Interview with Nordine, conducted by John Assaraf, Star of The Secret)

Monday, July 07, 2008

John:
How does fitness affects one's spiritual being?

Nordine:
Your Spirit is the universal battery to your mind and body.
We use spiritual substitutes such as alcohol, food or even drugs to make us feel good for a short, short time, but in the long run the results are devastating.
When I was competing as a top athlete, I use to think that I loved myself but in reality I was obsessed with my physic. I think I stopped loving with my heart back then, I was satisfying my ego instead. When you are obsessed you forget how to love yourself and everyone around you;you're not here, you're somewhere else, a place where ego is comfortable.

There is no SUBSTITUTE for spirituality other than respecting yourself, your body and everyone around you. When you are fit and healthy, you are inspiring everyone, and that my friends is spirituality at its best. Love is the antidote to obsession.

John:
I really want to change but how?

Nordine:
First you must acknowledge the current YOU then move on to acknowledge that you want to change, accept the change and let go of the OLD YOU. Acknowledge, accept, let go; I call this the Ta Kwon Do method. Because if you don’t, you'll feel that you are not fully satisfied with your life, something will be missing, you won’t know it but you will certainly feel it. You'll feel a chronic anxiety, something missing, a life off-balance. If you are not fulfilled with your life, you will get full some other way, eating, drinking, taking drugs, sex, name it.

John:
How do I know I have a desire to be fit?

Nordine:
You know you have the desire to be fit when thinking and seeing yourself fit creates an amazing excitement just as if you were falling in love again but this time it will be YOURSELF that you falling in love with. How can people expect others to love them if they don't love and appreciate themselves?

John:
How can I exercise without thinking of it as a burden?

Nordine:
By seeing, feeling and being the change you want to create. When you think and see the end result as if you were actually already achieving it, you will feel excitement rather than anxiety which is what hinders all your efforts to change.

John:
What are the three fundamental expressions of life?

Nordine:
The expression of body, of mind and of spirit. We are three part beings. Neglect one and you will be living in disharmony.

John
What are the three fundamental expressions of life?

Nordine:
The formula to perfect fitness to me is: 60% Heart & Mind – 30% Nutrition and 10% Exercise. You live in your heart and mind most, you feel, you think, you create, you experience, such is the real cycle of life.

Labels: inspiration

Permanent Link To This Post Leave A Comment (0 comments) External Links To This Post

Questions and Answers

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Here are 6 fundamental questions asked to Nordine during a Webinar.

Question 1: How does fitness affects one's spiritual being?

NZ :Answer 1:Your Spirit is the universal battery to your mind and body.
We use spiritual substitutes such as alcohol, food or even drugs to make us feel good for a short, short time, but in the long run the results are devastating.
When I was younger I use to think that I loved myself but in reality I was obsessed by my top athlete physic, I think I stopped loving with my heart but rather I used my ego. When you are obsessed you forget how to love yourself and everyone around you.

There is no SUBSTITUTE for spirituality other than respecting yourself, your body and everyone around you. When you are fit and healthy, you are inspiring everyone around you, and that my friends, it is spirituality at its best. Love is the antidote to obsession.

Question 2: I really want to change but how?

NZ:Answer 2: First you must acknowledge the current YOU then move on to acknowledge that you want to change accept the change and let go of the OLD YOU. I call this the Ta Kwon Do method, my dear friend and spiritual mentor Dr. Dharma taught me the technique. Because if don’t you will feel that you are not fully satisfied with your life, something will be missing, you won’t know it but you will certainly feel it. If you are not fully satisfied you will get full some other ways.

Question 3: How do I know I have a desire to be fit?

NZ: Answer 3:You know you have the desire to be fit when thinking and seeing yourself fit creates an amazing excitement just as if you were falling in love again but this time it will be YOURSELF that you falling in love with.

Question 4: How can I exercise without thinking of it as a burden?

NZ: Answer 4:By seeing, feeling and being the change you want to create. When you think and see the end result as if you were actually already achieving it, you will feel excitement rather than anxiety which is what hinders all your effort s to change.

Question 5: What are the three fundamental expressions of life?

NZ: Answer 5:The expression of body, of mind and of spirit. We are three part beings. Neglect one and you will be living in disharmony.

Question 6: What are the three fundamental expressions of life?

NZ: Answer 6:The formula to perfect fitness to me is: 60% Mind – 30% Nutrition and 10% Exercise. You live in your mind most.

Labels: inspiration, mindful fitness

Permanent Link To This Post Leave A Comment (0 comments) External Links To This Post

MIND OVER BODY

Friday, September 07, 2007

Know that dieting is not just what you eat. What are you really feeding your body? What is your mind feeding it? What is your spirit feeding it? This will all eventually show up in your physical state of being. The way you think and feel affect the way you look. Your fitness level is very much controlled by how you think and feel. Your body is a direct reflection of the inner soul. What are you really carrying around? It may be more than a few extra pounds. Blocking emotion and carrying negative thoughts can cause you to carry extra weight. Weight can actually be an armor built up to create a wall that actually keeps you from being who you really want to be. Break through that wall and you will begin to create the physical body you want to achieve. If our physical being is our car that we ride in, it is the mind and the spirit that drives it.









WATCH A TV INTERVIEW ABOUT MIND OVER BODY

Labels: body image, book, diet, exercise, fitness, inspiration, recipes

Permanent Link To This Post Leave A Comment (0 comments) External Links To This Post

Transformation from within

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Accepting the responsibility that you have the power to transform your life is a trigger to any meaningful behavioral process of change. You must learn to release any negative resistance to change. Limitation and refusal to improve your current negative state of mind will only lead to your investment remaining the same.

There is a saying that goes something like "doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of insanity."

Holding onto beliefs that no longer work in your current life situation will translate into stagnation or further degradation. Bring your attention to a new state of mind; a positive mental attitude fueled by a core desire to live a full and meaningful life.

Fitness of the mind will cultivate and support fitness of the body. Nurturing your positive thoughts by allowing them to smoothly manifest the perfect healthy body is what you can bring into awareness in your daily life. Moment after moment you flow and moment after moment you glow. I wish you all a life full of positive moments!

Labels: inspiration, mindful fitness

Permanent Link To This Post Leave A Comment (0 comments) External Links To This Post

It's Not About Your IQ!

Sunday, March 18, 2007

The other night I took the family out to dinner. We went to my favorite place in Tucson , a restaurant called "La Salsa". They have the best healthy Mexican food in town.

While ordering, a gentleman with a wheelchair entered the restaurant. It was obvious that he was homeless and not very clean either. Needless to say that no one was really paying attention to him.

Then an interesting event happened. After paying for his own food (Peter was his name) he came and sat at the table near ours. The kids were very curious, as you can imagine. Peter started communicated with the kids by exchanging smiles and some pure and innocent energy I guess.

A few minutes passed and Peter started asking about the kids' names. A conversation started between him, my wife and I. In that conversation we learned that Peter was indeed homeless since 1985, was 65 years old, spoke four languages (I can attest to that because we spoke together in all four) AND he had a degree in psychology.

At that point my wife and I looked at ourselves and couldn't believe what we heard. Then something in my mind struck me; it occurred to me that Peter was not the victim of his physical disability but that he had made a choice to be homeless. You may be thinking that there are other circumstances to his life situation, and I agree, but I am here to tell you that after speaking to him, I came to realize that it was HIS choice.

You see, Peter created a process of thinking that manifested what he did NOT want but unfortunately had spent too much focus and energy on that.

So it's not about your IQ - like Peter you maybe very intelligent, or maybe even smarter, but if you don't decide to take a daily step forward towards WHAT YOU REALLY WANT, you won't get it, and you will find yourself right were you DID NOT WANT TO BE.

Later in the car both the kids thought, and in fact said "Daddy, that man is beautiful." I think they were connected to Peter's energy, his beautiful and untouchable self, his SPIRIT. No matter what you are or do on a mental and physical plan, in your heart you are and will remain beautiful FOR ETERNITY!

Labels: inspiration

Permanent Link To This Post Leave A Comment (0 comments) External Links To This Post

Nordine's Mindful Tip for the Spirit

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Labels: inspiration, mindful fitness

Permanent Link To This Post Leave A Comment (0 comments) External Links To This Post

Breathe! It's All Right!

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

I had a lunch meeting last week with a top executive of a company I am involved with. While we were eating, the executive said something that I thought was inappropriate and it started to change the mood of our conversation. I had the choice then to do one of two things: stop the meeting and leave, or continue and bring the mood back to a more positive one. I chose the latter and dismissed what had been said, took a trip to the bathroom, performed a one minute deep breathing exercise, visualized what I wanted from the conversation and went back with this new energy I had created.

The result was amazing; I got exactly what I wanted.

We all go through periods of ups and downs and we all have the choice to climb the ladder back where we want to be. The absolute truth is that we can be, have or do whatever we choose to. Who do you choose to be today? What do you choose to have today? What do you choose to do today?

Think it! Feel it! Be it! No one or nothing can have control over your thoughts.

Labels: inspiration, mindful fitness

Permanent Link To This Post Leave A Comment (0 comments) External Links To This Post

How To Make 2007 Your Year to Get into Shape

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Here we are, already two weeks into the New Year. You know I have to ask...how is that fitness resolution coming along?

If the pounds haven't budged yet, don't panic. I have some words of wisdom for you to live by this year - words that will aide in getting you to your fitness goal.

Shoot for dropping a pound a week.

Now, this may not seem like that much, but if you did this consistently for the rest of the year it would result in 50 lbs lost. This may be extreme for you, but the good news is that once you achieve your idea body, maintenance is a breeze. How great would it be to begin 2008 with a brand new body?

This all sound well and good, but how do you go about the business of shedding that pound each week? I am here to tell you that it doesn't have to be allusive, mysterious or frustrating. In fact, with a little calculation, you can consistently drop one pound a week until you reach your goal.

All it takes are small changes in your daily lifestyle. Let's break the process down...

How to shed a pound a week: Burn 3500 cal. more than normal.

It's that simple! No fancy pills or powders necessary, just a progression of calories exerted without an increase in calories consumed. Try the following three steps:

1. Record your normal weekly exercise - look at everything from walking to participating in sports to exercising in the gym. This is your starting point. You need to burn an additional 3500 calories on top of your normal weekly exercise.

If you don't currently exercise, then this step is really easy for you, a simple blank page will do.

2. Record your normal weekly food intake - this may be hard to do honestly, but remember that you are only cheating yourself by not recording everything. Calculate the total number of calories that you eat in an average day.

In your quest for dropping inches you shouldn't exceed your normal daily caloric intake - you should, rather, work at slowly decreasing that number.

Remember, we are going for a 3500 calorie deficit each week - this can be done by a combination of increased calorie exertion (exercise) as well as a decrease in calories consumed (eating less).

3. Chart the difference - now that you know your starting point for both calorie exertion and calorie intake it is time to turn the tables in your favor. Take every opportunity to exert more calories by increasing your physical activity, and to decrease your calorie consumption by eating fewer calories and by making healthier selections.

Record your progress in a notebook and refer back to it often. You will be surprised how encouraging it is to see the positive changes that you are taking in your life written down on paper.

If you burn up 500 calories a day you will drop a pound in a week.

Labels: exercise, fitness, inspiration, mindful fitness

Permanent Link To This Post Leave A Comment (0 comments) External Links To This Post

Nordine's Mindful Tip

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

How many times have you made resolutions that lasted just about the same amount of time it takes to read this sentence? Don't feel bad. Out of 10 people, eight won't keep their resolutions for more than a month.

Whether it's working out regularly, "releasing weight" (my dear friend John Assaraf likes these words as opposed to "losing weight", I will tell you why in another issue) or changing your diet, they are most often directed at making us feel better about ourselves.

Mindful Tip
Why are these goals likely to fail? Much of the problem is with your mind-set and a lack of planning, as well as getting the wrong information. Being aware of what the obstacles will be and how to avoid them is crucial in setting goals and actually achieving them.

Mindful Wisdom
Accept who you are and what your current life situation is. When you reject your situation it tends to stick to you like glue. What you resist persists; I am sure you've heard this before.

Mindful Action
Make a conscious choice and go for it. When challenges arise we tend to revert back to our old condition. That's a normal mind event. Go over the threshold and climb back up, you will only be closer to your dreams. Changing a habit is just a matter of finding another one; a more positive one that will give you a benefit, even if it is a delayed benefit such as exercising. Immediate benefit such as feeling good by, say, smoking a cigarette, is deadly and you know it. Besides, it takes 10-15 minutes for a smoke break -try to add it up in weeks and years, you will soon find out that it's an absurd waste of time, money and life as opposed to more time to play, more money to spend and more oxygen to breathe.

Labels: inspiration, mindful fitness

Permanent Link To This Post Leave A Comment (0 comments) External Links To This Post